The Music Universe Podcast

The Music Universe Podcast
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MUSIC INTERVIEWS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

The Music Universe Podcast is the flagship talk show of the largest independently-circulated music news site, The Music Universe. The show features conversations with diverse superstars from Garth Brooks and Gene Simmons to Dionne Warwick; newly minted superstars such as Parker McCollum and The War and Treaty. Co-hosts Matt Bailey & Buddy Iahn also chat with up-and-coming artists they think need to be on your radar. Plus, the pair take you on their own adventures as they travel and cover the biggest events in music and entertainment.

  1. OCT 3

    Featured Interview with Lily Rose

    Last month, genre-defying artist Lily Rose released her long-awaited first full-length album, I Know What I Want, independently via Lily Rose Music. The project marks a defining moment in Rose's career, a project shaped by persistence, creative freedom, and a deep love for the songs themselves. Over the last four years, Rose has written nearly 800 songs, thoughtfully curating the 13-track collection. Some songs are newer additions to her catalog, while others have long held a place in her heart, waiting for the right moment to be heard. The album reflects an important shift. For the first time in years, Rose felt she had true creative control, and the result is a project that represents her refusal to stay down, her commitment to get back up, and her clarity of vision. "I signed my first record deal just shy of five years ago. I think I really needed to find myself as part of the Music Row community," Rose tells us exclusively. "I had been in Nashville plenty of years beforehand, and going after this career, but we took a lot of time making sure that I had the correct songwriters in the room with me and all of that to make some magic happen. We wrote a lot of songs. I would've loved to have an album out a little bit sooner, but I couldn't be happier that it happened the timing that it did because all 13 of these songs are exactly what I want on an album." The new record follows her 2024 Runnin' Outta Time EP and 2021 debut Stronger Than I Am, capturing a new level of confidence and perspective in her sound. Lily is currently on the road, bringing her powerhouse live show to stages across North America. Dates are scheduled through November 22nd in Phoenix, Arizona. After her breakout 2020 viral hit “Villain” was released, the Atlanta native went from local favorite to national name practically overnight – landing a record deal, joining tours with Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan, and Shania Twain, national TV performances, and racking up accolades including an ACM Best New Female Artist nomination and GLAAD’s Outstanding Breakthrough Artist Award.

    12 min

  2. AUG 29

    Episode 227 with The Boxmasters

    The Boxmasters, featuring Billy Bob Thornton (or Bud as he's known in the band) and JD Andrew, recently released their latest album, Pepper Tree Hill, marking the group's 19th release. The project showcases their love of the Sixties and the inspiration of their studio, also named Pepper Tree Hill. The song "Pepper Tree Hill" features legendary trumpeter and bandleader Herb Alpert and longtime collaborator and Boxmaster alum Brad Davis. The title track is "a salute to the creative atmosphere that The Boxmasters thrive in." "Pepper Tree Hill is the property where my family and I live, and it’s also where our studio is, and we call the studio Pepper Tree Hill. The studio is at the bottom of the hill, and the house is at the top of the hill. It’s a very steep climb up the driveway, and it's lined with pepper trees. And so we thought that was just a natural name, you know, you got a little little Beatle reference in there," Thornton tells us from the group's tour bus before Andrew interjects, "Sergeant Pepper Tree Hill." Thornton continues, "This album really is, more so than a lot of our records, even though all of our songs that we write are based on the 70s and the British invasion and all that. This one really has some touches that are more evident than usual and, of course, we had Herb Alpert on the song 'Pepper Tree Hill' which harkens back to the 60s." The rest of the album contains jangly guitars, a Mellotron, and solid backbeats that drive the songs about nostalgia, hope, and happiness. The group is on its 2025 Pepper Tree Hill Tour, which wraps in Los Angeles on October 19th. Some familiar stops, like in Kansas City at Knuckleheads, and Tomball, TX at Main Street Crossing, are joined by five nights at the Bourbon and Bonfire weekends in Livingston, Montana, and many other new towns and venues across the country. They recently opened for The Who in Newark, New Jersey, where the show didn't go as planned. Thornton and Andrew discuss the performance along with the album, tour, and more, including a Landman soundtrack album that's in the works, featuring original songs co-written with Landman co-star and country singer/songwriter Mark Collie, Ronnie Dunn, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Parker McCollum, and Dwight Yoakam, to name a few.

    28 min

  3. AUG 22

    Episode 226 with James Dupré

    James Dupré has released his new album, It's All Happening, today (Fri, Aug 22nd) via Warner Music Nashville. The project follows his Perfect Time EP, released in February, and features "Knee Deep in a River" and "Alright Tonight." Dupré was born and raised in Bayou Chicot, Louisiana. The one-time aspiring meteorologist turned paramedic became a YouTube sensation in 2007, which led to an invitation to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Shortly after, he released his debut album, It’s All Happening, in 2010, which charted on Billboard. After signing a record deal with Warner Music Nashville in 2011, Dupré began performing and touring full-time. In 2015, Dupré appeared on season nine of NBC’s The Voice with a four-chair turn, landing him a spot on Adam Levine’s team. Following his departure from The Voice, Dupré released his sophomore album Stoned to Death, yielding two singles on the Billboard Indicator chart. The father of five made his acting debut in the film The Price, playing the son of a country singer portrayed by Randy Travis. In 2019, James was handpicked by Randy and his wife, Mary, as the special guest vocalist for the More Life Tour. Along with Randy’s original band, James performs all of the Country Music Hall of Famer’s biggest hits. James released his third studio album, Home and Away, in 2020 with three singles, including the title track, “Another Love Song,” and “Painfully Pretty.” In September 2023, he made his Grand Ole Opry debut in Nashville. In May 2024, James was featured on CBS Sunday Morning as the first-ever “vocal bed” on a commercially released song. The single, “Where That Came From,” was the first new music released by Randy Travis in over a decade, and was produced with the help of AI to reimagine Randy’s legendary vocals on new music.

    14 min

  4. AUG 1

    Episode 225 with K-pop songwriters Jenna Andrews & Stephen Kirk

    Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk are a highly successful songwriting and production duo, known for their work with a wide range of popular artists, especially in the K-pop realm. The real-life couple gained significant recognition for their work on BTS's hit songs "Butter" and "Permission to Dance." Some of their notable songwriting credits include "Free" and "What It Sounds Like" from the widely popular Netflix series, KPop Demon Hunters, and its record-breaking soundtrack. KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) climbs the charts for a fifth consecutive week with over 1.5 billion global streams to date, rising to No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and continuing to be the highest charting soundtrack of the year. In addition, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack secures the No. 1 Soundtrack Debut of 2025, and a fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart. Besides Andres and Kirk, the soundtrack features original songs written by Danny Chung, Ido, Vince, Kush, Ejae, Lindgren, Mark Sonnenblick, Daniel Rojas, and produced by Teddy Park, 24, Dominsuk, Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk, Lindgren, Ian Eisendrath. Original songs are performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, Andrew Choi, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo, SamUIL Lee, Neckwav, and Lea Salonga. The soundtrack also includes the original song “Takedown” featuring Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung from K-pop powerhouse girl group Twice. The pair has also worked with Sabrina Carpenter, Drake, Nelly Furtado, Jessie Murph, and others.

    29 min

  5. JUL 4

    Episode 224 with Cole Swindell

    Country superstar Cole Swindell is spending his Fourth of July Weekend with Mountain Dew and fans at the lake. Swindell will be at Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri, this weekend to keep fans' coolers full of Mountain Dew with on-demand deliveries. The Mountain Dew Thirst Guards program tackles summer's biggest party emergency – the empty cooler – by deploying Mountain Dew-branded Sea-Doos to bring bold, thirst-crushing refreshment directly to boaters and lake-goers at Lake of the Ozarks. On July 5-6, fans with empty coolers can text (803)-MTN-DEWS and send their location for an emergency delivery of ice-cold Mountain Dew, while supplies last. The program ensures Mountain Dew enthusiasts never miss a moment of summer fun, providing the refreshment needed for long days on the water. Swindell, a long-time Mountain Dew fan, will lead the Thirst Guards, making surprise deliveries to fans near MarineMax Osage Beach at Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday, July 6th. This authentic partnership comes on the heels of Swindell's new studio album, Spanish Moss, and showcases the natural connection between the country star's carefree and energetic lifestyle and the adventurous brand ethos Mountain Dew is known for. "I've always been a big fan of Mountain Dew, so I'm hyped to lead the Mountain Dew Thirst Guards and help keep the party going July 4th weekend," Swindell says. "Catch me at Lake of the Ozarks filling up coolers, passing out Pit Vipers and blasting my new music -- an ideal summer day!" Beyond Lake of the Ozarks, the Thirst Guards (sans Swindell) will also take over Lake Travis, Texas; Miller Beach, Indiana; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with on-land beach stations packed with ice-cold Mountain Dew, creating an unmatched refreshment experience and keeping legendary summer excitement going all weekend long. In this podcast episode, Swindell talks to us about the partnership, his new 21-track fifth album, upcoming fall tour, and more.

    13 min

  6. JUN 20

    Episode 223 with Brian Kelley

    Building on the soundtrack of his life, diamond-selling superstar Brian Kelley drops his latest solo offering, Sunshine State of Mind Season Two, Chapter One, today (Fri, June 20th). The full-length independent project features 14 tracks co-written by Kelley, as he returns to his personal mantra, and the feel-good foundation of his acclaimed solo career. Kelley’s new songs were penned alongside his 2021 release, Sunshine State of Mind Season One, and saved for another day. Much has changed in the years since – including delivering two more albums (Tennessee Truth and Ed & Mary Margaret’s Son) – but its sing-along themes remain relevant, with creative passion and country-born pride expressed through Kelley’s laid-back beach town vibe. Kelley’s expansive creativity was recently showcased on Fox's The Masked Singer season 13, where he made it to the show’s final round. Unmasked as the Mad Scientist Monster, judge Robin Thicke applauded his closing performance as the “best vocal of the season.” Starting July 24th in Savannah, Georgia, Kelley will hit the road to headline his Sunshine State of Mind Tour with dates continuing through September 7th in Raleigh, North Carolina. In this episode, Kelley speaks to us about the fun he had on The Masked Singer, his new album, the tour, and more.

    21 min

  7. MAY 30

    Episode 222 with Hootie & The Blowfish guitarist Mark Bryan

    Hootie & The Blowfish co-founding guitarist Mark Bryan has a new solo project called Popped. Showcasing his multi-faceted talents, Bryan played all instruments while also enlisting a band of Charleston musicians, including skilled horn players, to round out the project with additional depth and dimension. "I made the record before the tour, in the fall of '23, I guess it was," Bryan tells us. "It just where I was at musically. I just had a bunch of songs and I have a home studio, and got with my engineer and cranked them out. Most of the noises you hear on the album are me, including drums. I played a lot of drums this time for the first time, which is cool. I had a band in on other tracks, and some horns. I kinda really stretched the direction that I'm going on this one. I went many directions. I kinda let the songs dictate the style, and just followed that. I have a Latin pop song on there, and ska song, and a reggae song, and some stuff that's a bit more folky and a big rock song. It's just all over the place." Bryan is on tour supporting the project. The multi-instrumentalist, who's from Silver Spring, Maryland, will play a hometown show at The Atlantis in Washington, DC on June 20th featuring Hootie's Gary Greene, and other area musicians. This episode also sees Bryan discuss his and Darius Rucker's solo projects, and what he hopes the future holds for his longtime band.

    19 min

  8. MAY 2

    Episode 221 with Great White’s Michael Lardie

    This weekend, hard rock and heavy metal fans will flock to Columbia, Maryland for the 16th edition of the M3 Rock Festival. Tonight (Fri, May 2nd), Sebastian Bach kicks off the three-day event with Snake Oil. David Lee Roth headlines tomorrow (Sat, May 3rd) with appearances by Accept, Winger, Slaughter, Steven Adler, Child’s Play, Red Voodoo, and more. The festival closes on Sunday with a long-awaited reunion of Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini performing Ratt, Ace Frehley, Warrant, Great White, Lita Ford, Vixen, Spread Eagle, and Soundcheck Rock. Ahead of the festivities, we had a chance to chat with Great White founder and guitarist Michael Lardie about their performance. “It’s always great to play. We’ve been pretty lucky of late. We’ve been [playing M3] pretty much every other year, which is great for us. We’re doing a show up in Flint, Michigan. Got a travel day and then we’re over in [the Maryland, DC, Virginia area],” he tells us. “Obviously the fan base is, pretty perfect for our genre of music… And it’s cool to see everybody still doing it. I mean, that’s another thing that warms your heart, when you’re there and you’re doing the show with all the different bands that are there. it’s kind of like, wow, we’re still doing it. This is awesome.” Lardie also discusses new music and more with us. Check back for exclusive M3 coverage with reviews, interviews, and photos from the weekend. California-based Great White is Lardie on guitar and keys, Mark Kendall on guitar, Audie Desbrow on drums, Scott Snyder on bass, and Brett Carlisle on vocals. Since 1982, the Great White sound has captivated audiences worldwide with crushing, blues-based guitar riffs and swagger that invokes an emotional high for anyone that listens. The band’s core writing team of Lardie and Kendall forged numerous hits over the years, and when Desbrow joined in ’85, the grooves hooked an amazing stride. Four decades in and Great White enlists Brett Carlisle to take over vocal duties and lead the charge on hit after hit. That arsenal of songs include the Grammy nominated Best Hard Rock Performance hit, “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” Great White has sold over ten million albums worldwide, has six Top 100 Billboard hits, nine Top 200 Billboard albums, two platinum albums, and clocked the top of MTV four times.

    17 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The Music Universe Podcast is the flagship talk show of the largest independently-circulated music news site, The Music Universe. The show features conversations with diverse superstars from Garth Brooks and Gene Simmons to Dionne Warwick; newly minted superstars such as Parker McCollum and The War and Treaty. Co-hosts Matt Bailey & Buddy Iahn also chat with up-and-coming artists they think need to be on your radar. Plus, the pair take you on their own adventures as they travel and cover the biggest events in music and entertainment.

Information

  • Creator
    The Music Universe Podcast
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    231
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Music Universe Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Music Universe Podcast