For Songs
A podcast for and about songs and songwriting
We found 10 episodes of For Songs with the tag “newmusic”.
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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!
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Episode 35: A Conversation with Jade Jackson and Aubrie Sellers
November 5th, 2021 | Season 1 | 43 mins 20 secs
americana, aubriesellers, countryrock, indiemusic, jacksonsellers, jadejackson, newmusic
A chance meeting in 2019 between established singer/songwriters Aubrie Sellers and Jade Jackson turned into one of the most compelling new albums in years—October 2021’s Breaking Point. In this episode, Jade and Aubrie detail how their unlikely partnership came to be and how Breaking Point became the most authentic album both have made to date. Listen in as the duo—officially called Jackson+Sellers—walk us through four songs from the album and how difficult it is to make a living as a musician.
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Episode 34: For Songs Singles! Hesitate, Sons of Silver
October 15th, 2021 | Season 1 | 18 mins 16 secs
hesitate, indierock, iwarnedyou, newmusic, politics, rocknroll
Welcome to the first episode of For Songs Singles! Instead of four songs, we talk about one. On this first episode we feature Hesitate, the blistering new song from LA-based indie-rock band Sons of Silver. Hesitate is a musical and lyrical tour-de-force. It jumps out of the speakers with driving guitars and pounding bass and drums. Singer/songwriter Peter Argyropoulos takes the global decline of our discourse, where we wall off those we disagree with, whether they are family or friends. You may not agree with what Peter says or how he says it, and that’s almost the point. For those who aren’t sure where they fit in these hyperpartisan, hypersensitive times, Hesitate is the song for you.
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Episode 33: A Conversation with Dar Williams
October 1st, 2021 | Season 1 | 39 mins 52 secs
darwilliams, folk, folkmusic, folkrock, joanbaez, newalbum, newmusic, pandemic
Time has a funny way of working, right? Some days feel like they last forever, while others are over in a blink of an eye. And the cruel joke is that as you get older, time seems to move even faster. On this episode of For Songs, singer/songwriter Dar Williams covers these themes and more on her latest album “I’ll Meet You Here,” released on Oct. 1. Dar has been making music since the early 90s, following in the footsteps of folk-rock luminaries Joan Baez, Jim Croce, and others. In fact,Joan took Dar under her wing, offering her advice and spots on tour throughout her career. And now Dar is roughly the same age as Joan Baez was when they first met, and she is returning the favor. Dar and I discuss four songs from “I’ll Meet You Here,” along with her influences—some will surprise you—and how she is gearing up to tour during a pandemic. So join me and welcome Dar Williams to For Songs.