WAIM #150: Julia Steiner of Ratboys

Julia Steiner found her musical soulmate the moment she arrived on campus at Notre Dame University. Steiner, already an avid musician and budding songwriterby the time she graduated high school, had already developed a virtual friendship with Dave Sanger on a Facebook Group for Notre Dame’s incoming Freshman class. Upon meeting in person, the pair felt a deep connection and began trading mix CD’s to deepen their respective musical wells.The friendship between Dave and Julia quickly blossomed into the formation of Ratboys, an outfit built around the pair’s original songs and youthful exuberance. By the time their studies at Notre Dame had wrapped up, Ratboys relocated to Chicago and began to climb their way up the indie rock ladder.Over the course of six albums and six EPs, including the brand new LP Singin’ To An Empty Chair, Ratboys have steadily built a core audience and a sea of critical acclaim. The band, which now features Julia and Dave, as well as Marcus Nuccio and Sean Neumann, is spending an overwhelming portion of 2026 on the road across North America and in Europe.During our discussion, Julia and I covered the travails and triumphs of life on the road, exploring the importance of staying grounded and in the moment while also hurtling across the globe one day at a time. We shared our experiences of blogging about life on the road and the way that process can help deepen our appreciation for the previous day’s events. Julia shared some of her approaches to songwriting, noting how editing, or in some cases, choosing not to edit, can be the key to making a good song great.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Julia for joining me. Be sure to check out her work in Ratboys wherever you get your music. And you can find all of their tour dates at https://www.ratboysband.com/The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C.Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin.You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe