For Songs
A podcast for and about songs and songwriting
Displaying Episode 1 - 10 of 15 in total of For Songs with the tag “newmusic”.
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Episode 69: For Songs Singles! Beware, the Mighty Joshua
August 11th, 2024 | Season 1 | 22 mins 36 secs
bobmarley, indiemusic, indierock, mightyjoshua, newmusic, reggae, richmond
Sometimes the simplest words say the most. For proof, look no further than my next guest, Richmond, Va.-based singer/songwriter Mighty Joshua. Mighty Joshua is one of the hottest, sought after reggae acts along the East Coast, and his new album Dreaducation demonstrates why. In this episode, Mighty Joshua talks “Beware,” the first single from the new record. We talk about his significant growth as a singer and writer, and how being mindful—being aware—is a necessity in life. So please join me in welcoming the Mighty Joshua back to For Songs.
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Episode 68: A Conversation with Ian Hunter
May 10th, 2024 | Season 1 | 43 mins 53 secs
ianhunter, lucindawilliams, motthehoople, newmusic, queen, ringostarr, rocknroll
Every now and again I pinch myself when doing this show. It’s been four years and I’ve had some amazing guests. Yet this one was more than 30 years in the making. Because my guest is Ian Hunter, hands down my favorite singer-songwriter of ‘em all. Ian is best known for his time fronting the early to mid-70s band English band Mott the Hoople. From there Ian’s solo career has dotted nearly six decades, and he’s still going strong. Ian joined me to discuss his latest album Defiance Part II: Fiction. The songs are fantastic, but check out the roster of musicians who joined him: Ringo Starr, Brian May, Lucinda Williams, Jeff Tweedy, the late Taylor Hawkins, and so many more. I still can't believe this happened! So sit back, relax, and enjoy this interview with Ian Hunter.
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Episode 60: A Third Conversation with Louis Michot
October 10th, 2023 | Season 1 | 40 mins
cajun, cajunmusic, folkmusic, leescratchperry, lostbayouramblers, louisiana, louismichot, newepisode, newmusic, pogues
Sometimes life comes full circle. In this episode of For Songs, I welcome back Louisiana-based singer/songwriter Louis Michot of the traditional Cajun band the Lost Bayou Ramblers. Louis first appeared on the show in Fall 2020. In the three years since his first appearance, Louis wrote and released his first solo record, Reve du Troubadour, which is French for Troubadour’s Dream. Although the album is entirely sung in Cajun French, the songs span a much wider range, from dub to hip hop, to the Pogues, to classical music. Louis is as much of a historian as he is a musician, and some of his songs will make you uncomfortable. So sit back and gear up as Louis takes us through Reve du Troubadour.
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Episode 58: A Second Conversation with Ian Jones
May 19th, 2023 | Season 1 | 49 mins 36 secs
americana, ianjones, newmusic, outlawcountry, seattle, singersongwriter
Music, not unlike life, is about the journey. And perhaps no artist I’ve interviewed knows this better than Seattle-based singer/songwriter Ian Jones. A true craftsman, Ian knows that getting your big break in the industry is about luck and being in the right place at the right time. His music would fit at home on Outlaw Country, though he has a soulful voice that recalls John Denver as much as it does Chris Stapleton, or whomever is leading the so-called “Americana” charts. Ian and I chatted about his latest release Results Not Typical. We talk about four songs—Rollin’, Someday, Without You I’m Lost, and Goodbyes are the Hardest Words. So sit back, grab a beer, and welcome Ian Jones back to For Songs.
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Episode 57: For Songs Singles! Break Down the Walls, Emma Noble
April 23rd, 2023 | Season 1 | 23 mins 5 secs
disco, emmanoble, london, motown, newmusic, noble&heath, soul, soulmusic
The best thing about music is no matter how old you are, no matter how long you’ve been listening and loving music, you can still hear something that will stop you in your tracks. Which is what happened to me a few months ago when London-based singer/songwriter Emma Noble’s latest single Break Down the Walls jumped out of my Spotify feed. Break Down the Walls sounds like it could’ve been recorded yesterday, or 40 years ago on Motown. Emma is a key player in London’s thriving soul scene. Her music draws influences from ‘50s-‘60s soul, ‘70s disco, and ‘80s new wave. In this episode of For Songs Singles, Emma discusses her musical journey, how her DJ-ing business led to developing relationships with producers and songwriters, and how this genre-bending gem of a pop tune came together. Dig in!
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Episode 50: Another Conversation with Paleface
October 3rd, 2022 | Season 1 | 18 mins 12 secs
beck, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, danieljohnston, indierock, newmusic, paleface, songwriting, womeninrock
As you’ve no doubt heard in listening to this podcast, the music industry is not for the faint of heart. In this special episode of For Songs, we are joined again by indie-rock legend Paleface and his drummer/partner Monica “Mo” Samalot. Paleface has seen it all, a veteran of the industry since the early 90s. PF and Mo discuss the crowdfunding campaign currently underway to support their next release, which is expected to come out in early 2023. We talk about what goes into writing, recording, producing, and releasing an entirely independent record. We discuss how you can play a key role in getting their new album out on the streets by supporting their efforts.
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Episode 45: For Songs Singles! Restless Companion, Michael Patrick F. Smith
April 18th, 2022 | Season 1 | 23 mins 10 secs
dakota, folkmusic, folkrock, indierock, newmusic, thegoodhand
It’s been a little more than since my next guest first joined me on For Songs. Michael Patrick F. Smith returns to the show for the first time since January 2021, a few weeks before his book The Good Hand was published. The Good Hand is a blistering read, telling the tale of his journey to North Dakota at the height of the shale-gas revolution that turned parts of the state into a latter-day gold rush. With the paperback version having just been released, Michael joined me to discuss a new song called Restless Companion. Restless Companion is a breezy tune that would fit right at home on Uncle Tupelo’s Anodyne, or Son Volt’s Trace. The song itself is an ode to The Good Hand and all the literal blood, sweat, and tears that went into it. So sit down, grab a beer, and welcome back Michael Patrick F. Smith to For Songs.
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Episode 43: A Conversation with Emily Capell
March 20th, 2022 | Season 1 | 45 mins 33 secs
blondie, donletts, dreadzone, emilycapell, indierock, joestrummer, london, newmusic, ska, theclash
If you had the chance to spend an hour in the car with one of your musical heroes—you are driving—what music would you play? My next guest, London-based Emily Capell, faced this very dilemma. Emily, who literally grew up on the Clash and its various offshoots, is inspired by, well, the Clash, Big Audio Dynamite, but it goes beyond that. In his exhilarating interview, Emily and I talk about two songs from her 2019 debut album Combat Frock and then we talk about two newer songs, 2020’s Flamingo, recorded with the London-based Dreadzone, and a cover of Big Audio Dynamite’s E=MC2. Emily is one of the freshest talents recording today, so go grab your beer, sit down, and welcome Emily Capell to For Songs.
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Episode 42: A Conversation with the Whitmore Sisters
February 18th, 2022 | Season 1 | 44 mins 58 secs
americana, ghoststories, indierock, newmusic, steveearle, themastersons, thewhitmoresisters
It is a cliché that blood is thicker than water, but its also true. And my next guests are living proof.. Eleanor and Bonnie Whitemore have been in and around the Americana genre for pretty much their whole lives. Eleanor and her husband Chris Masterson make up folk rock duo The Mastersons, and they also play in Steve Earle’s backing band The Dukes. Bonnie has released a number albums over the years and has played with a who’s who. Despite their roots, though, Ghost Stories is their first album together, and let’s hope there’s more to come. We talk about four songs—Hurtin’ for a Letdown, Ghost Stories, Greek Tragedy, and The Ballad of Sissy and Porter. We talk about death, drugs, influences, and, of course, songwriting. This interview gets pretty heavy at times, so be ready. It is my high honor to welcome Eleanor and Bonnie Whitmore to For Songs.
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Episode 40: For Songs Singles! Keeping On, Franklin Gotham
January 7th, 2022 | Season 1 | 21 mins 54 secs
altrock, franklingotham, icewagonflu, indierock, newmusic, poprock
Here we go—nearing Year Three of this pandemic. If you are struggling to trudge ahead as the news seemingly gets worse every day, have I got a song for you. Joining me for this first episode of 2022 is my old friend Kevin Adkins of Franklin Gotham. In this episode, Kevin and I talk about Franklin Gotham’s latest single Keeping On, a tune for our time. It is no doubt one of the catchiest songs you’ll hear all year, and it’s also a perfect way to start 2022. Kevin and I talk about how the song came to be, how they recorded it across two states, and how their writing process works. If you need a bit of a pep talk heading into the year, dig into this!