Making Music At Masterdisk (that matters) - Michele Gedney

Send us Fan MailA song can be a product, or it can be a place you go to tell the truth. We head off campus into Hudson Valley songwriter Michele Gedney’s home studio and talk about the moments that changed her creative life: writing alone for years, walking into an open mic, and suddenly finding the kind of community that makes your work sharper and your voice clearer. Michele breaks down what actually improves a song: listening, arrangement choices, dynamics, and the hard skill of getting out of each other’s way so the core message can land. We also dig into her retreat work with Dar Williams, Writing A Song That Matters, where the goal is not a hit but a process you can return to. We talk about why beginners often bring the most surprising insights, how “being witnessed” helps artists stop second guessing, and what a healthy workshop culture sounds like when everyone listens with care. Then we take on the question hanging over modern songwriting: AI in music. Where can it help, where does it flatten meaning, and why connection is still the point. The conversation turns intimate as Michele shares songs written after the death of her husband and musical partner Rick, and how grief reshaped her writing, her performances, and her sense of purpose. We also look at remote recording during the pandemic, trust-based collaboration, and how one song can become a legacy others recognize years later. Subscribe for more conversations about songwriting, recording, and mastering, then share this episode with a friend and leave a review. What helps you know when a song is truly honest?