In our episode with Wisconsin-born, New England based Jeffrey Foucault, we had a handful of questions for the singer-songwriter about his background: coffee, the midwest and Mark Twain wisdom. Then we talked about Billy Conway for more than an hour. Conway was Foucault's long-time partner in music, drummer and best friend who died from cancer in 2021. He was a rock and roll roots legend in Boston with his tenure in Morphine and Treat Her Right. He was like a holy man, known for his creative, curious and infectious spirit where even people who met him only one time (myself included) were quite taken and inspired by his presence. The loss of Billy Conway hit the music community hard. In 2023, a tribute album showcasing the songwriting of Conway recorded by some of his closest friends (Chris Smither, Foucault, Kris Delmhorst, Billy's wife Laurie Sargent) was released. And now, with his latest album release, Jeff's given us a working wake for his friend Billy, The Universal Fire.

We talked about what was going on with Jeff when he met and started working with Billy in 2013. What state of mind made this spectacular friendship and collaboration completely click. How conscious Jeff has been about his reaction to Conway's death and processing grief when it comes to being an example for his teenage daughter (who is also getting into folk music and live performance- hi Hazel!). We also dig into the new album, The Universal Fire. He paralleled the loss of Billy Conway with a different type of loss: the 2008 fire at the Universal Studios lot in California that destroyed master tapes of hugely influential American recordings. And finally, a check in on how Jeffrey's humanness is faring in the high-tech world in the year 2024.

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Throughout his music career, singer-songwriter Amos Lee has cultivated a large female fanbase and also owes a lot of his early start to Norah Jones (a female!). He's about to hit the road co-headlining with folk music and queer icons, The Indigo Girls. In our conversation, he talks about the atmosphere he's going for in concert and it's not a very bro-centered vibe. His latest album Transmissions further proves his case with a gorgeous sonic palette that includes country music, indie folk, folk rock and acoustic music sounds. Recorded with his longtime band in a studio in rural Marlboro, NY, the songs came out as warm as the reclaimed church wood it was built out of.

Amos dives into topics like how he feels about kids, to his work with cancer patients, to the benefits of caring for your mental health and music. He touches on anxiety and overstimulation (mostly prompted by my anxiety!) and overcoming adversity. He also talks about being a mentor for the Black Opry residency at WXPN in his town of Philadelphia and explains what a Hoagiemouth is. Amaze and delight at the wonderful Amos Lee.

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Maya, Nina and Lyle de Vitry's life, beginning in Lancaster PA, has been music and family, music festivals with old-time music, songwriting and folk music. The de Vitry siblings (including sister Monica, currently teaching art in Western Mass) grew up amongst music and nature in their rural home and even had a family band called Old-Time Liberation Front. Many jams around the campfire, music lessons and encouragement from their parents lead all three siblings to careers surrounding indie folk music (and jazz! thank you, Nina). All three have released albums in the past year: Maya's new album “The Only Moment” is her fourth record in only six years of performing solo in her post Stray Birds career. Lyle JUST released his debut album, “Door Within a Dream,” while simultaneously working alongside other banjo makers at the Pisgah Banjo Company, his current day job. Nina's excellent debut "What You Feel is Real" came out last year, but she's been busy playing on the Noah Kahan tour as "the utility player". Nina's singing harmonies and playing fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar and 12-string guitar while finding creative inspiration from the energy of the crowds and her new found musician siblings in Noah's band.

In our special conversation with the de Vitry sibs, we talk about how they feel about each other's creative process, songwriter process and musician inspiration. They get into how being at all these music festivals and jams as kids bonded them together. We learn about made-up words that their family uses to this day: stay tuned to find out what a butchabee and a taffy bub is. Also they each talk about how disconnected they feel from the mainstream (Nina had never heard of Noah Kahan's music until she was asked to audition for his band). Also Lyle gets into how being around three sisters, female musicians and female songwriters has impacted him and his musicality. And don't miss a very special de Vitry "Which One" lightning round wrapping up one of the most special singer-songwriter interviews we've done on Basic Folk.

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Editor’s note: Basic Folk is pleased to introduce our listeners to one of our favorite podcasts by sharing an episode in our feed! The ​Other ​22 ​hours, ​hosted ​by ​singer/songwriter Michaela ​Ann ​and ​producer ​Aaron Shafer-Haisse, talks to fellow musicians ​about ​the helpful ​tools ​and ​routines the use ​to ​stay ​creative, ​inspired, ​and ​sane ​while ​navigating ​a ​career ​built ​on ​their ​art. ​The ​thing ​I ​like ​about ​this ​podcast ​is ​that ​these ​conversations ​are ​between ​musicians. ​They're ​very ​real. The ​musicians ​share ​insights ​that ​go ​beyond normal ​bio ​questions. They ​talk ​about ​things ​that ​can ​actually ​translate ​into ​non ​musicians' ​lives. ​They ​dive ​in ​deep ​right ​from ​the ​start. ​I ​came ​across ​this ​podcast when ​they ​interviewed ​Leyla ​McCalla ​and ​was ​blown ​away ​by ​that ​conversation. ​Some ​other ​favorites ​have ​been ​William ​Prince, ​Gretchen ​Peters. ​Today ​we're ​going ​to ​share ​their ​conversation ​with ​Mary ​Chapin ​Carpenter. ​I ​hope ​you ​enjoy ​and ​subscribe ​and ​follow ​and ​support ​Aaron ​and ​Michaela ​on ​The ​Other ​22 ​hours.

Episode Summary

Mary Chapin Carpenter is an 18x Grammy nominated, 5x Grammy winning, 6x platinum-selling singer-songwriter with over 16 albums and decades of touring so far in her career. We talk with Mary Chapin about her songwriting process, including her need for solitude and her practice of "song walking," we talk about how she still faces rejection even with all of her accolades and commercial success, how common and easy it is to personalize mistreatment from people in power (and how to combat that), and much more on this very candid final episode of Season 1.

Episode Notes

Mary Chapin Carpenter is an 18x Grammy nominated, 5x Grammy winning, 6x platinum-selling singer-songwriter with over 16 albums and decades of touring so far in her career. We talk with Mary Chapin about her songwriting process, including her need for solitude and her practice of "song walking," we talk about how she still faces rejection even with all of her accolades and commercial success, how common and easy it is to personalize mistreatment from people in power (and how to combat that), and much more on this very candid final episode of Season 1.

Get more access, including exclusive content, advance knowledge of our guests and the ability to have them answer your questions, special workshops, and more by becoming a member of our Patreon, at this link.

Links:

• Mary Chapin Carpenter
• Carl Sandburg
• Taylor Swift Eras Tour
• Steve Poltz
• Ep 43 - Gretchen Peters
• Ep 22 - Group Text (Erin Rae, Caroline Spence, Kelsey Waldon & Michaela Anne)
• Kelly Clarkson
• Ep 16 - Rodney Crowell
• Rose Cousins

Click here to watch this conversation on YouTube.

Social Media:

• The Other 22 Hours Instagram
• Michaela Anne Instagram
• Aaron Shafer-Haiss Instagram

All music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss.

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Sometimes it strikes me just how much power can emanate from a creative mind. Speaking with Denitia was one of those times. When the indie music artist comes across an unfamiliar musical concept, she goes “sponge mode” until she understands it. Then she seamlessly integrates it into her artistic vocabulary. This relentless curiosity and sense of play can be heard across Denitia’s catalog, from her early work as half of the New York indie R&B duo denitia & sene to her breakthrough country album, “Highways.” Her fluency with multiple genres gives her a refreshing approach to record-making, sound, and fashion alike.

Since moving to Nashville and pivoting from R&B to indie country, Denitia has been grabbing audiences’ attention with her gorgeous voice and catchy-as-hell cool girl indie songwriting. Denitia was selected for the CMT Next Women of Country class of 2024, and her forthcoming album, ‘Sunset Drive,’ delivers on the hype. Denitia and her longtime songwriting partner, Brad Allen Williams, have painted classic country landscapes against which tales of escape from the ordinary are told with longing and warmth. The new record is something of a full-circle moment for the Texas-born artist, and a showcase for her prodigious talents as a vocalist. Lizzie No leads the conversation in our singer-songwriter interview with Denitia where she offers music industry insights, vocal warm-up techniques and music marketing strategies. Also, we definitely dig into FASHION: from her New York streetwear days to thrifting vintage clothes in Nashville.

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Anna Tivel and Jeffrey Martin have both released new albums in the past year that have knocked us right over. Living Thing is the most recent Anna Tivel singer-songwriter record and Thank God We Left the Garden being the Jeffrey Martin new album. Of all the singer-songwriter interviews and musician conversations we've done over the course of the pod, these two kooks have been a popular pair on this Basic Folk podcast. Their singer-songwriter inspiration, musician life stories and music career development have been a fascinating journey. Jeffrey being a former high school teacher and Anna spending her formative years intensely playing the fiddle before moving to Portland at the age of 18.

In our conversation, Anna and Jeffrey speak to several hot topics like "do you write about your neighbors," "how's your physical body at processing stress" and "what is the point of your newsletter." We dig right into it in true folk music podcasts fashion and these two are not holding back. If you are looking for some top notch singer-songwriter advice, music collaboration ideas and the latest in folk music trends... it remains to be seen whether you will find that here. What you will find are two very deep and thoughtful musicians sharing what goes on in their lives and hearts and in their designated work spaces. Spoiler alert: Anna's office has five massive paper mache eyeballs.

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The world of Austin's Matt the Electrician, aka Matt Sever, is quirky and sincere. Sever is known for his work ethic and vibrant presence in the Austin Texas music scene. Before music was full-time, Matt worked as an actual electrician in between folk music gigs and open mics. He found people were drawn to his skills in the trade, so he decided to make it part of his musical moniker. After self-releasing 11 studio albums and a couple of live sets, the name remains even though he has not been a professional electrician for a long time. In this episode, Matt discusses his new album release, "The Ocean Knocked Me Down," and shares insights into his songwriting process and the unique creative writing techniques that keep his music fresh. We learn about his experiences with the independent music community, performing live, and the joys of music discovery in the 90s through alternative music magazines like Puncture Magazine.

Matt also opens up about the evolving landscape of music marketing strategies, reflecting on his journey from traditional methods to the more creative approach he employs today. For instance, Matt's been conducting fake interviews on his social media between himself and Spotify, Facebook and Rolling Stone that are hilarious. Also he reminisces about the excitement of finding new music back in the day and talks about his favorite snacks, like carnitas tacos and the benefits of black coffee, that clearly fuel his creativity.

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Originally from Devon, the English singer-songwriter John Smith got his start playing bars and clubs in Liverpool, both with his own songs and as a side player for artists like Lianne La Havas, Lisa Hannigan and David Gray. Growing up with folk music and guitar music influences from Eric Clapton to Maria Callas to Nick Drake, John’s sensitivity as a player is one of the cornerstones of his music, especially when it comes to his live music. It's earned him a passionate fanbase ever since his first EP release in 2009. I (lizzie) got to witness the connection he shares with audiences on a recent month-long tour around the UK. Everywhere we went, audience members had stories of how important John’s songs were to them, and guitar nerds flocked to have a look at his pedal board.

Beyond his musicianship, John’s music is imbued with an earnestness that invites listeners to look around and feel gratitude: for nature (especially the vistas of rural England), for the wisdom that memory can provide, and for the people close to us. John’s latest album, ‘The Living Kind,’ is a meditation on how delicate love and life can be, but also how enduring. It also showcases the creative partnership between Smith and his longtime friend and roots music industry icon Joe Henry. One of the album’s highlights is “Milestones,” in which John reflects on how parenthood has changed his perspective on the artist’s life.

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Editor's note: For this episode, we invited our friend Dawn Landes to interview Peggy Seeger. Dawn was the perfect choice to interview the feminist folk icon. She recently joined us on a special episode with Aoife O'Donovan to discuss their feminist-themed new albums. We're thrilled to welcome Dawn back as guest host!

I can’t believe it took me 40 years to come across Peggy Seeger’s music. I’m a little mad about this honestly, and have been trying to make up for lost time by diving deep into her songs and her story. I’ve been a fan of her older brother, Pete Seeger since I was a kid but didn’t realize the depth of talent and reach in the Seeger family …they are truly Folk Royalty! Peggy Seeger is the daughter of a celebrated modernist composer and a musicologist who grew up with people like Alan Lomax and Elizabeth Cotten hanging out in her family home. At 89 years old she’s released 24 solo recordings and been a part of over a hundred more. She’s built her career on wit, incredible musicianship and unflappable activism.

On this episode of Basic Folk, I am honored to talk with Peggy Seeger about her beginnings in feminism, her decades-long partnership with Scottish singer Ewan MacColl, the creation of the BBC Radio Ballads, the importance of hope and her dream tattoos! She even sang us a song from memory that I doubt she had sung in many years. Peggy is a repository of traditional songs and continues to tour and play music with her family as she’s done throughout her whole life. Although she claims that she doesn’t write anthems, Seeger’s songs have become synonymous with women’s rights and environmental activism. Coming from a woman who once sang her defense in a courtroom, we should all take Peggy’s advice…“Something wrong? Make a song!”

--- Dawn Landes

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Folk music singer Ana Egge's 13th album Sharing in the Spirit came out of the musician one song at a time. She didn't even think about moving onto a new song before the writing and production of each song was complete. Working with her friend and collaborator Lorenzo Wolff, the songwriting process and music production plan was to just work on a handful of songs. Their creative collaboration manifested an entire record's worth of indie folk, acoustic music and new folk music. The record includes eight originals and two covers: one by the Biloxi songwriter Ted Hawkins and one by Irish musician Sinead O'Connor.

Ana gives a huge songwriting credit to her dreams, which started getting more and more intense when she began her sobriety journey four years ago. Since then, she's recorded her dreams, especially those with music segments and full songs, on her voice memos app. We go through the new album track by track, addressing themes in the songs like not sleeping through the revolution, the importance of telling the truth, feelings on mortality and how are we gonna feel when Bob Dylan dies. Also: Ana was the VERY first guest on Basic Folk! I can't go back and listen to myself four years ago, but I encourage you to check it out and then dive into her great new album.

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Chris Smither has been Peter Mulvey's mentor since back in 1993, when the young Mulvey opened for the already seasoned Smither. The blues and folk legend liked what he heard and enjoyed the similarities in creativity and quirks and he took that young man on the road with him. Their musical partnership has crossed paths and outlasted the digital age, the pandemic, parenthood and the indictment of a former president. Along the way each has worked to influence their best habits and life lessons on the other and as far as mentor-mentee relationships go, this one is for the history books. Also there are nods to David 'Goody' Goodrich, Jeffrey Foucault, Kris Delmhorst and the woman behind it all: Carol Young (aka Smither's long-time manager, aka his wife).

In this rare joint interview, we address the important questions: like why do they delight in calling each other by their last names? Smither shares that he was first called by his last name in Paris when he was in school. They debate who has the better hometown: Milwaukee or New Orleans. Actually it's not so much a debate as a reflection on New Orleans music, since that is clearly the better spot to grow up a musician. Mulvey reflects on their musical differences citing some of his main inspirations to be Kendrick Lamar and Ani DiFranco versus Smither's affinity for Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. We break down how each feels about fatherhood and try to get Smither to spill his secret to longevity. Spoiler alert: it's not from remaining still. Chris Smither's 20th album All About the Bones is out now. Peter Mulvey's latest is the acoustic retrospective More Notes From Elsewhere.

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If you're looking for recommendations for desserts, might I suggest asking folk music and comedy savant Steve Poltz? This man loves gluten and carb-heavy deserts. He also loves collaborations, camaraderie, creativity and using humor in music. It all began for Poltz, or Poltzy as his friends call him, in his birthplace of Halifax Nova Scotia, making him an official Canadian. He spent his formative years in Palm Springs and Los Angeles where, due to his stutter, allergies and asthma, he learned to talk fast to get himself out of trouble. His sense of humor was cultivated in part by his funny parents as well as radio and television. He was particularly taken with The Smothers Brothers, Laugh-In and the novelty songs he heard on Dr. Demento's radio program, which solidified his own aspirations for being silly as hell in his own writing. Along the way, he picked up the guitar at six years old and it's been by his side ever since.

After he moved to San Diego to attend college in the 80s, he formed the cow-punk band The Rugburns with Robert Driscoll. The band, who Steve has described as "really slow speed metal," developed a cult following across the US in the early 90s. It was at that time, Poltz met Jewel, who was a struggling musician in the San Diego scene. The two dated (they remain friends to this day) and ended up co-writing one of the biggest songs of the 90s with "You Were Meant for Me." After a brush with a major label (thanks to all the Jewel stuff), he remained an independent artist who developed a reputation for a singular live performance experience. In 2014, he actually had a stroke on-stage, which temporarily caused him to lose his vision, the ability to read and also gave him a new outlook on life. Also: post-stroke, he found a late-in-life obsession with The Grateful Dead. In 2016, he and his wife, Sharon, moved to Nashville, where he discovered that he actually does like the Nashville co-writing thing. He's written songs with people like Molly Tuttle and Billy Strings. His friend Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers) produced his most recent record, Stardust and Satellites. Here's to Steve Poltz!

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Editor’s note: Basic Folk is pleased to introduce our listeners to one of our favorite podcasts by sharing an episode in our feed! I am awestruck with the charm and charisma of Texas Country Musician Bri Bagwell - most impressively demonstrated on her podcast Only Vans, where she talks to her friends in her van (actually she recently upgraded to an RV, but it still counts) about the music industry along with her dog, Whiskey.

Bri is a force to be reckoned with from her rousingly fun live performances to trailblazing recordings garnering her twelve #1 singles on Texas Country Radio and counting. The Bluegrass Situation Podcast Network recently welcome Only Vans to the fam and I wanted to share this super helpful episode where Bri talks to Mitch Ballard (BMI’s Executive Director of Creative in Texas). They discuss what BMI is and why it’s important, along with the constantly evolving nature of the music business and what BMI is doing to keep up and help artists.

Listen > Subscribe > Support! and share with a musician you love! This one's got some great tips and info!

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Iowa folk music icon Greg Brown is living that retired life. After playing his farewell retirement concert in 2023, he's returned with a new book: Ring Around The Moon: A Songbook, which highlights a song selection personally picked by the songwriter himself, as well as family photos, personal anecdotes and self-penned drawings. The book features a foreword by Seth Avett (The Avett Brothers) who calls Brown's songs "plain ​spoken ​expression ​of ​the ​nearly ​inexpressible." In our conversation, we touch on topics like inner peace, happiness, personal growth and self-acceptance.

He speaks of how art has impacted him in ways the artist will never understand. He talks about what it's like to be on both the receiving and sending end of this exchange. It especially impacted him when he learned the poet Allen Ginsberg listened to an album of his while he was dying. I asked him about his music archives, which he calls "a ​bunch ​of ​old ​notebooks ​on ​a ​shelf" and "a ​couple ​boxes ​of ​old ​photos," which assisted him in recalling family connections for the songbook. Going through the photos and old songs instilled a sense of music nostalgia, including collaboration with Iowa musicians at the Wednesday Night Jam at The Mill. Music nostalgia surfaces several times through the pages like his incredible story of founding the successful and beloved Red House Records. There's also discussion on a few choice Greg Brown songs like "If You Don't Get it at Home," addressing replacing love for materialism and drug use. We talk about "Brand New '64 Dodge," chronicling Brown's personal experience with JFK's assassination in 1963 and "Two Little Feet," written in Alaska where he was inspired by Native American myths he heard and felt in the area. Greg Brown's songbook was an awesome trip down memory lane for some of the best folk songs ever written from one very serious, yet very silly songwriter. It was an honor to dig in with one of the best to do it!

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After banjo player Kaïa Kater attended Americana Fest in 2016, the music industry started telling her she was a part of the genre, which encompasses all kinds of roots music, acoustic music, folk music, singer-songwriter and alternative country music. She was singing about heavy themes like historical trauma, her cultural heritage (her father is from the Caribbean country of Grenada) and her music history. She confesses in our interview that she never felt comfortable in Americana, that she was always just on the outside never fully feeling accepted by this mostly white world. Kater has declared that her new album, Strange Medicine, comes from a place that lays beyond the white gaze of Americana. This music is filled with emotional healing with music production that sonically ​reflects the vulnerability that she is expressing so deeply for the first time in her career. It's also the first time she's avoiding metaphors and really letting her most raw feelings about colonialism, sexism, racism, and misogyny rip. These songs see her using violent language and releasing emotions she’d previously kept frozen like anger and revenge.

While creating Strange Medicine, she listened ​to ​a ​lot ​of ​instrumental ​music allowing her ears ​to be bigger ​than ​they ​had ​been ​on ​previous ​records. Which translated to her being ​more ​willing ​to ​take ​big ​swings ​and ​take ​risks. Kater ​attended school ​to ​learn film ​composition ​allowing her to be more ​comfortable ​with being ​a ​little ​bit ​more ​overstated ​in ​her ​songs, which certainly proves true on the new record. Another good piece of news is that the banjo is back! After using it very minimally on her last release, Kaia picked it up again after listening ​to ​a ​lot ​of ​Steve ​Reich, a composer who developed a groundbreaking minimalist style in the 1960s that's marked by repetition. His work ​helped ​Kater ​conceive ​of ​the ​banjo ​as ​an ​instrument ​that ​could ​hypnotically play ​patterns ​over ​and ​over. We go through this monumental album track by track and unwind songs with topics from Tituba's revenge (the first to be accused during the Salem witch trials) to getting the critic out of the room, to realizing the critic is you. She also recounts her history in her hometown of Montreal and what the Internet was like when she first logged on in the 2000's.

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Frontman ​Ryan ​Miller joins us ​to ​talk ​about ​all ​things ​Guster. ​From ​their ​tried ​and ​true ​collaborative ​writing ​process ​to ​the ​theatrical ​delights ​of ​their ​recent "We ​Also ​Have ​Eras" ​tour, ​to ​what ​it ​really ​looks ​like ​to ​make ​environmental ​sustainability ​a ​priority ​on ​tour. Guster ​has just released ​their ​9th ​studio ​album, ​Ooh ​La ​La. ​As ​we ​talked ​about ​the ​new ​record, ​Ryan talked ​about ​how ​these ​new ​songs ​touch ​on ​questions ​that ​the ​band ​has ​been ​asking ​throughout ​their ​over ​30 ​year ​career. For ​example, ​"Maybe ​We're ​Al​right" ​calls ​back ​to ​the ​collectivist ​spirit ​that ​we ​loved ​in ​2003's ​Keep ​It ​Together. ​​"Gaugin, Cezanne (Everlasting Love)" ​talks ​about ​God ​in ​a ​way ​that ​brought ​up ​new ​questions ​for ​me ​about ​2010's ​album, ​Easy, ​Wonderful, ​and ​so ​on. ​This ​is ​what ​makes ​being ​a ​Guster ​fan ​so ​rewarding. ​The ​longer ​you ​listen ​to ​these ​guys ​and ​the ​deeper ​you ​dig, ​the ​more ​you ​feel ​empowered ​to ​ask ​questions ​about ​the ​world ​around ​you ​and ​approach ​the ​answers ​with ​playfulness. ​Guster ​is ​a ​band, ​but ​it ​is ​also ​a ​place ​where ​we ​all ​meet ​to ​dance ​away ​the ​big ​questions ​with ​whimsy ​to ​the ​beat ​of ​tasteful ​hand ​drums.

It ​is ​no ​exaggeration ​to ​say ​that ​lizzie ​has ​waited ​over ​20 ​years ​to ​talk ​to ​Ryan. ​They became ​a ​fan ​of ​the ​New ​England ​indie ​outfit ​in ​2003 ​when they opened ​for ​John ​Mayer ​at ​the ​West ​Point ​Military ​Academy, ​of ​all ​places. ​The ​vibe ​in ​the ​room ​was ​a ​little ​stiff, ​but ​Guster ​was ​anything ​but. Their ​exuberant, ​generous, ​harmony ​filled, ​idiosyncratic ​performance ​blew her ​teenage ​mind. ​As lizzie ​dug ​deeper ​into ​their ​lore, ​they ​discovered ​that they were ​a ​part ​of ​a ​vast ​network ​of ​weirdos: The ​Guster ​fandom. ​

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I hate surprises. However, Oklahoma's pride and joy John Moreland surprised us with his latest album Visitor and I guess I'm okay with it. Moreland's gone back to a sparse acoustic instrumentation, unlike the electronic sound (which I also loved) on his previous release, 2022's Birds in the Ceiling. Recently, he took a page from his wife Pearl Rachinsky and musician (and recent tour buddy) Chris ​Staples' book, and quit his smartphone, took a social media break and stopped all touring for six months. What ensued was an incredible psychic change discovered through living electronically off the grid. Another thing that came about during experiencing this simplicity in life: an album full of songs. He would take long drives at night, bringing along his guitar and making field recordings of his new writing. All this culminated into his beautiful new record.

Moreland talks about the process of unraveling himself from the smartphone, reconnecting with the acoustic guitar and getting to know himself again during this period of quiet. He talks about how playing live is very vulnerable for him to the point where he started taking (and loving) beta-blockers to stave off anxiety and adrenaline. He is very candid with his current thoughts on body image, he has been known to experience body shaming online after performing live. We also get into something that's been on my mind all year: is climbing the professional songwriter ladder worth it? Pretty sure we figured out the answer. LoL.

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Barnstar!, Boston's premiere kinda bluegrass and definitely bombastic band, has released their new album Furious Kindness and we're #blessed to welcome Mark Erelli and Zachariah Hickman to the pod. Originally a fun side hustle and bluegrass vehicle for Zack, the group, which also includes Charlie Rose and Taylor and Jake Armerding, started very casually performing at the legendary local Cantab Lounge. Zack accurately likens the vibe of the place to a basement Star Wars Cantina full of bluegrass bands.

In between their main gigs with performers like Josh Ritter and Lori McKenna and solo careers, Barnstar! has cultivated an explosive live performance filled with energy and emotional expression leaving concert attendees cheering and crying along. Included in their repertoire are some of the finest music covers including many that you'd never expect to see on a kind of bluegrass band album, like The Hold Steady, Patty Griffin, Elliott Smith and Elizabeth & The Catapult. We talk about what it's like to bring a cover song to the band to learn as well as co-writing with friends like Dinty Child and Chuck Prophet. We'd be remiss if we did not address the alien-like quality of Mark Erelli's singing voice and learn that it is because of his bestie Zack and Barnstar! that he can sing like this. Now he finds himself performing vocal warm-ups before hitting the stage with the guys. Not something he ever thought he'd do. All members of Barnstar! contribute and sing to the new album Furious Kindness, an album that just wants to shout in your face about how awesome you really are.

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Two long-time collaborators, cellist Francesa Ter-Berg and violinist Flora Curazon, Fran & Flora, have bonded over their obsession with ancient music, rooted in Eastern European and Jewish culture, for over a dozen years. Together and separately, the English musicians have been studying with teachers of ethnomusicology in places like Transylvania and Romania. There, they took in the music as well as the cultural influences. That's not to speak of their higher musical education, Francesca holds two masters in music (including ​in ​contemporary ​improvisation ​at ​the ​New ​England ​Conservatory ​of ​Music) while Flora trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London. They break down the benefits of each learning style and how it impacts their creative process. They also get into their love of klezmer music and the importance of portraying cultural heritage while remaining modern.

We also talk about how as female musicians, they are expected to do absolutely everything and excel at it while people still talk about whether or not you smile on stage.
They share “There’s a very deep thing in there that has effected our choices as a band in order to keep it safe and healthy within ourselves.” Their latest album Precious Collection features a couple of original tunes, but it's mostly new and unique arrangements of traditional Klezmer and Yiddish songs. Don't sleep on the smokey translation that Flora shares of the song "Little Bird" and stick around to learn who is the better roommate. All in all, great conversation with wonderful people who create bonkers music that's rich in tradition and layers. 

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Billy Bragg joins lizzie and Cindy on-board Cayamo to talk about songwriting, social justice, punk rock and, of course, The Little Guy (Bragg's nickname for Woody Guthrie). In our interview we talked about using humor as a way to connect to his audience, so that he can bring up his political activism like fighting for transgender rights, the importance of unions and abortion rights. It's interesting to hear how he wants the Americana audience to remain as relevant as he does. Billy talked about his place as a British ​artist ​in ​the ​genealogy ​of ​folk ​music and how working on Mermaid Avenue with Wilco allowed him to be a part of the folk tradition.

He also shared how he overcame anxiety as a teenage musician. Standing in front of a crowd playing with his friends in a band really boosted his confidence. Meanwhile, the old school "stiff upper lip" of British culture created an emotional barrier between Billy's and his parents' generation. The older generation grew up with the cultural heritage of separating oneself from any emotion. When Billy was a teen, his father was dying. The doctor recommended not telling the patient or talking about it at all. Several decades later, his mother insisted that everyone talk to and about her terminal cancer diagnosis. Bragg also gets into the merits of socialism, why nostalgia rubs him the wrong way and his favorite English treat. Spoiler: It's marmite. Gross.

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