What Am I Making Podcast

As Laura Veirs set out to make her new album, Temple Songs, she committed to the idea of making a record with no masters. She chose not to use a producer and opted to play and record all of the instruments in her home studio, The Temple Of Bloom. Unsure if she had the chops or the technical acumen to pull off a full record of songs completely by herself, Veirs pieced Temple Songs together one take at a time, using a set of guidelines that would help to keep her work focused and grounded. The result is a resplendent album of gorgeous folk tunes that play as much like a family photo album as they do songs on a record.Veirs was powered to take this bold artistic leap after a difficult divorce and an unexpected love affair that led to her second marriage. There was even a time when Veirs saw herself never getting married again, but life has a way of surprising us. Day to day life at the Veirs household is a somewhat chaotic affair with a quartet of teenagers living with Laura and her husband.With a new record in the can and ready to roll, Laura Veirs is about to hit the road for several weeks of touring across the UK and the US throughout the summer and fall of this year. Laura and I discussed the realities of the road in 2026 as costs for gas, food and lodging all continue to creep northward. We also talk about the beauty of the simple house concert, and we cover some of the harsh truths of living on the road for long stretches of time.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Laura for joining me. You can find out all about Laura and her work at https://www.lauraveirs.com/ and you can snag her terrific records wherever you get your music.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

Wayne White knew he had an artistic gift at a very early age. By the time he was in first grade, White had begun making drawings of The Beatles and selling them to kids for a portion of their lunch money. At six years old, Wayne White had made his first dollar in the art world, and in many ways he never looked back.While Wayne was certainly blessed with innate talent, growing up in rural Tennessee meant there were no outlets for a creative kid. Wayne tried his best to play the role of athlete, largely to impress his father who was also a coach, but his athletic prowess was mediocre at best. Eventually, by middle school, White began engaging fully in his artistic inclinations, making a path for Middle Tennessee State University as soon as he had finished high school. The University offered little more than a basic arts program, but for Wayne it was the first time he had been around a group of people who were also motivated and energized by visual art.After finishing his degree and then working in the Nashville advertising scene for a year, White set off for New York City to try and make a name for himself. For more than three years, White worked day jobs while scratching out creative work on the side. He helped to make ends meet by performing underground puppet shows at events and parties. Eventually, this work dovetailed perfectly with a new kids show that was in production for CBS. Wayne White would go on to be a key member of Pee Wee’s Playhouse, building puppets, set pieces, and other ephemera for the entirety of the show’s run.In addition to his puppetry and his work on Pee Wee, Wayne White has become legendary for his thrift store word paintings, where he takes a second hand painting and adds hand lettering, often with satirical or snarky messaging to create a whole new piece of art. White initially thought that these paintings were nothing more than a lark, until he staged a show at a local cafe, which in turn led to a proper gallery showing, and eventually a full show and a massive retrospective book called Maybe Now I’ll Get The Respect I So Richly Deserve, which was done in collaboration with the designer Todd Oldham.With a cache of incredible visual work in his catalog, Wayne White was even the subject of the 2012 documentary, Beauty Is Embarrassing, a lovely portrait that is a combination of White’s personal and artistic journey as well as his artistic philosophy and workflow. During our conversation, Wayne and I cover the allure of used things and we dive into the beauty of junk. Wayne shares his battle with overthinking things, and he even shares some advice on listening to the process when doing creative work.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Wayne for joining me. You can find out all about Wayne and his work at https://www.waynewhiteart.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

Andrew Sa grew up under the spectre of country music. Growing up in Fremont, California, some of Sa’s most intense childhood memories revolve around the family crammed into his father’s F150 pickup listening to Top 40 country radio allowing him to soak up the likes of Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton. Sa’s grandparents kept a collection of cassette tapes at their home, and Andrew always found himself gravitating to the saddest songs in the Patsy Cline collection. Something haunting, yet alluring lay within the grooves of those records, and Sa was fascinated to find out the truth about it.As an adult, Sa followed the path of love to find himself in Chicago where he set about taking classes at the famed Old Town School of Folk Music. In Chicago, Sa began to invest himself deeply into the art of songwriting. He also found himself developing an intense bond and friendship with country singer and songwriter, Patrick Haggerty, a trailblazer in the world of queer country. Haggerty’s early 70’s LP Lavender Country served as a major influence for Sa, who was also shaped immensely by Haggerty’s experiences and advice.Andrew Sa’s debut record, American Rough was issued in late June on Bloodshot Records. That album is a culmination of years and years of work and rework. Sa was deliberate in the release of his album, taking a full year to shop it around and find the perfect home for its release. The record itself is a gorgeous, seemingly timeless affair that recalls notes of Roy Orbison, KD Lang, and The Everly Brothers.During our conversation, Sa and I talked about the immense impact his collaborators have had on the album. We talk at length about the contributions of the album’s producer H.C. McEntire who helped to shape Sa’s songs into a cohesive sonic piece. There is also talk of the queer country scene in Chicago, including Sa’s own Lavender Prairie Fest that he has spearheaded for the last several years.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Andrew for joining me. You can find his new album, American Rough wherever you get your music. 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

Johanna Samuels’ terrific new album, Sorry, Kid was anything but a straightforward endeavor. After recording and then scrapping eight songs, Samuels considered walking away entirely. Filled with frustration and uncertainty, Johanna attended a New Year’s Eve singalong at the home of producer Jonathan Rado and his wife Jackie. Between piano renditions of Ben Kweller tunes, the idea of recording together surfaced organically. Samuels already had the songs. Rado, who has produced albums for Weyes Blood, The Killers, and Father John Misty had the right instincts to build a sonic world around them.Sorry, Kid culls from twenty years’ worth of Samuels’ songwriting life. While the album includes brand new material, it also features reworked tunes that had germinated as early as 2007. With Rado at the controls, and with contributions from pals like Madison Cunningham, Courtney Marie Andrews, and Tyler Ballgame, Sorry, Kid stands as a testament to the glory of making records with your best friends.During our conversation, Johanna shares details of her life growing up in a Hollywood family, and we unpack some of the connections she has to her Jewish past. Johanna talks about how she learned to give herself permission to follow in the steps of heroes like Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen, gradually learning that dudes were not the only ones that could write a great song. We also cover the incredible cache of talented women currently working in the worlds of alt-country and folk music, many of whom Johanna counts as friends.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Johanna for joining me. Her new album Sorry, Kid is available on August 14 wherever you get your music. 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

John Darnielle never set out to be an indie rock icon. Long before his band, The Mountain Goats were a household name in indie rock circles, Darnielle was an unlicensed nurse working in various psychiatric wards in his home state of California. While working full time, Darnielle also pursued a bachelor’s degree at Pitzer College. Throughout his studies and nursing work, Darnielle also managed to carve out time to write and record his own songs, ultimately attracting the attention of Shrimper Records which led to the release of Darnielle’s first collection of songs, a cassette tape released called Taboo IV:The Homecoming.Over the next ten years, Darnielle found a way to balance his nursing duties with occasional touring stints and time for recording. He managed to find time for all of these disparate pursuits until 2003 when it became clear that music was paying much better than nursing. Since committing himself to music full time, Darnielle has seen a surge in admiration and audiences alike. His band have amassed an enormous, and impressive catalog that includes 24 studio albums, including the forthcoming LP Days which arrives on August 7.In addition to his prolific work in The Mountain Goats, Darnielle has turned to the written word as a major form of self-expression. His authordom began in 2008 with a fictional story centered around the Black Sabbath album, Master Of Reality. In the intervening years, Darnielle has gone on to pen a trio of novels, one of which was nominated for a prestigious Edgar Award.During our fascinating conversation, Darnielle unpacks his early life, which was dominated by an abusive step-father, and paints a vivid picture of his life as a nurse before rock and roll came calling full time. We explore the road that Darnielle’s spirituality has taken, including his return to the traditions and teachings of the Catholic Church. This is a riveting conversation with one of the brightest creative minds in the country.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to John for joining me. You can find out The Mountain Goats work wherever you get your music, and be sure to pick up a copy of John’s books at your favorite local bookseller.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

Thomm Jutz did not make his way to Nashville along the usual path. Growing up in the Black Forest of West Germany, an eleven year old Thomm saw American country star Bobby Bare on TV and instantly began a lifelong love affair with country and American roots music. Jutz gradually mastered the guitar and even began to pen his own songs, always dreaming of a move to America.In 2003, Jutz entered and won a lottery for a Green Card, which allowed him to work and live in the United States. He and his wife were able to move to Nashville, and would eventually become naturalized US citizens by 2008. During his 20 plus years in the States, Jutz has worked regularly as a sideman, touring the country with artists like Nancy Griffith, Mary Gauthier, and Kim Richey, as well as playing on myriad recording sessions. Jutz has also become one of Nashville’s most trusted sonic collaborators as he has produced albums by Nanci Griffith, Bill Anderson, Todd Snider, and Mac Wiseman.While the sideman and production gigs were bringing in steady work, Jutz longed to focus on his own songs. In 2023, he released Nothing But Green Willow: The Songs of Mary Sands and Jane Gentry, and has since followed it up with 2026’s Ring-A-Bellin’, an album and companion book that apply Jungian psychology and alchemical stages to the songwriting process.In addition to all of his writing, recording, and production work, Jutz is also a professor of songwriting at Nashville’s Belmont University. During our discussion, we talk about the changing state of the music industry and the ways that these cultural and economic shifts are affecting Thomm’s young songwriting students. We also explore the crucial importance of musical history, learning to listen deeply, and the idea of giving yourself permission to be an artist.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Thomm for joining me. You can find out all about his work at https://www.thommjutz.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

Kyle Thomas is a musical lifer. Best known to audiences under the moniker King Tuff, Thomas first heard the siren call of rock and roll as a young child when he was given his first record player. That simple gift was a sort of rosetta stone moment for Kyle that led to an existence fueled by the power of rock and roll.Growing up in Brattleboro, Vermont, Thomas began playing in bands at a very early age, immersing himself in the world of hardcore. By the time he had reached the end of high school, Kyle was exploring American underground bands like The Modern Lovers, and soaking up The Smiths. Soon, he began working under the moniker King Tuff and began his own record label, MUP in 2005.For the last two decades King Tuff has churned out some of the most exciting and interesting records in the world of indie rock. Refusing to be pinned down with a narrow genre definition, Thomas continues to draw his own connections between seemingly disparate sonic worlds as he easily meshes elements of folk, power pop, southern rock, and even metal into his work.During our conversation, Kyle shares some of the evolution behind his sound, including the ways he has seen his songwriting change and mature. We cover some of the massive changes in the music industry since Kyle first started some 20 years ago, as we dive deep into the rising costs of touring. Kyle also shares why most venues suck, and he reminds us all of the importance of the album cover, even in the age of spotify.Kyle Thomas has not only built an impressive legacy of recorded work, he is also an incredibly affable dude that I found to be a delight. He is, in short, a great hang. So come join me and King Tuff as we talk Vermont, psych-folk, musical Yodas and so much more.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Kyle for joining me. You can find King Tuff’s work wherever you get your music. Please buy local whenever you’re able.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

Dorothy Parker was one of America’s greatest wits, and one of its finest writers. Born into privilege, Parker lived a life of contrasts. Her scathing wit and razor sharp humor made her famous, but that quick tongue shielded a low self-esteem. At the height of her powers, Parker found herself the de facto leader of the famous Algonquin Round Table, a weekly collection of intellectuals and writers at the center of Manhattan’s cultural elite. Yet she often looked down upon the Round Table, seeing it as little more than tawdry entertainment.Film historian, and author Dr. Gail Crowther’s new book, Dorothy Parker In Hollywood charts the path of Parker’s journey west in search of work and a new life in the Los Angeles sunshine. The book takes a deep look at Parker’s strained familial relationships, and wrestles with the author’s destructive relationship with alcohol. Crowther also paints an excellent portrait of Parker’s personal life that was largely fueled by the affection and assistance of her husband, Alan Campbell.Activism was a central part of Parker’s entire adult life, working with left-wing causes to fight against fascism in Spain and then in Italy and Germany. Parker also devoted much of her life to the struggle for civil rights in America, and even bequeathed her estate to Martin Luther King, Jr. after her death. In fact, her dedication to various progressive causes was so intense that she was surveilled by the FBI for years and was even blacklisted for a time. Whether she was fighting fascism, battling bigotry, or trading barbs at the Round Table, Dorothy Parker always punched up. Join me and Dr. Gail Crowther as we take a fulsome at Dorthty Parker in Hollywood and beyond.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Gail for joining me. You can find her new book, Dorothy Parker In Hollywood wherever you get your books.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

John Gallagher, Jr. is a true 21st century, multi-hyphenate. Cinephiles and television aficionados will recognize him from his various screen roles that include The Newsroom, Short Term 12, and Westworld. Those more familiar with the world of Broadway probably know Gallagher from his work in the hit musical Spring Awakening, for which he won a Tony. Folks with their ear tuned toward the indie rock underworld can also find John hard at work as an excellent singer and songwriter.Gallagher grew up the son of musicians who opened up a whole world of creativity and expression early in their son’s life. As a child, John fell in love with acting. He quickly found himself booking paying gigs, eventually landing in New York where he connected with the creators of a new musical called Spring Awakening that would eventually go on to win a trio of Tony Awards, and take Broadway by storm. This critical and commercial success on Broadway led to a host of on-screen opportunities for Gallagher, including the role of Jim Harper on HBO’s The Newsroom.Despite all of his acting success, John continued to hone his chops as a songwriter and singer. In 2016, he released his debut album Six Day Hurricane under the moniker Johnny Gallagher. While maintaining a very busy day job on set, Gallagher released two more full length albums, 8th and Jane in 2021 and Goodbye or Something in 2024.As his third LP was set to enter the world, Gallagher also found himself hard at work on Swept Away, a new musical built around the songs of The Avett Brothers. The production was set to open in November of 2024 and it seemed poised for a massive run. With a new album in hand, and a soon to be hit show on the horizon, John Gallagher, Jr. was riding high. Sadly, things don’t always go according to plan. Despite critical acclaim, Swept Away failed to move enough tickets and its run was cut short after just a few weeks in production. Meanwhile, John’s new album Goodbye or Something had also failed to make much of a mark on the cultural landscape.Two years later, things have brightened significantly for Gallagher. His new EP, Almost OK began as an imagined two song 7-inch, but has blossomed into something more significant. With notes of wrecked romances, paranoia, depression, and seismic life changes, Almost OK plays like a shimmering diary filled with regret, hope, and vulnerability. There are notes of power pop, Laurel Canyon folk, and even a dash of Dad Rock all lending these five songs a sense of playfulness that belies many of its heavier lyrical themes. This is a fascinating conversation that not only hits upon John’s journey in acting and music, it covers the magical power of live performance, and so much more.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to John for joining me. You can find his new EP, Almost OK wherever you get your music. 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

Music historian and author, Kent Hartmann describes his pair of books about the Los Angeles music scene of the 1960s and 1970s, as the AM and FM sides of LA. The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll’s Best-Kept Secret is a deep dive into the origin story and artistry of the legendary backing band that played on hundreds of top 40 hits. Goodnight LA focuses on Los Angeles in the 1970s, and the handful of studios that gave the city its signature sound. This pair of terrific tomes captures the impact, experimentation, and influence that Los Angeles has had on modern American music.During our discussion, Kent charts out some of the luminaries that were a part of the Wrecking Crew including Hal Blaine, Carol, Kaye, Glen Campbell, and Leon Russell. We look at how the efficiency and creativity of these players made them a hot commodity, and how they helped to shape the sound of American music as they recorded countless hits with The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Mamas & The Papas, The Carpenters, Frank Sinatra, and hundreds more.Shifting into the FM side of the discussion, Kent and I focus on a handful of the studios that forged the now famed Los Angeles sound of the 1970s. Acts like Tom Petty, Loggins & Messina, Fleetwood Mac, Warren Zevon, and Linda Ronstadt crafted punchy, polished recordings that brought hit after hit. Much of that sound was shaped by backing players like Waddy Wachtel, and by the engineers and producers working daily in studios like Sound City and Sunset Sound.While many might see Los Angeles as just a movie town, its impact on our American musical landscape has been massive. Kent Hartmann’s work on The Wrecking Crew and Goodnight LA has helped to shine a light on the often overlooked artistry of session musicians and given us a window into a vast and varied musical scene that is still evolving some fifty years on.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Kent for joining me. Please go grab a copy of The Wrecking Crew and Goodnight LA wherever you get your books. Always shop local if you can. 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

Alan Sparhawk came of age in rural Northwestern Minnesota, the son of a construction worker, part-time farmer, and occasional musician. While music was a regular presence in the house, farm life didn’t provide for much cultural exploration, until Sparhawk found himself at college in the city of Duluth where he was able to gain access to a world with movies, music, and other folks interested in music and culture. For a time, Alan began playing in Zen Identity, a band based out of Superior, WI. After bassist John Nichols joined the band, he and Sparhawk began joking about starting a new band that was completely different from what was happening on the top of the charts.Formed in the wake of the alternative revolution led by Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Low set out to play a quieter, slower, and more intentional kind of rock and roll. Focusing on slower tempos, stripped down arrangements, and quietly beautiful harmonies, Low excelled at bringing out the most essential elements within a song. This deliberate approach was eventually dubbed “Slowcore” by the indie music press, and Low found themselves often lumped in with bands like Bedhead, Codeine, and Ida to name a few. While this label largely fits, the feature that truly sets Low apart as a band, even within the Slowcore movement, is the gorgeous voice of drummer, Mimi ParkerSparhawk and Parker had been married for some time, and had even played together casually around the house, but Alan admits having to coax Mimi into joining the band. It’s marvelous that he did, for her talent was undeniable. Together, their two voices soar across the entirety of the Low catalog, which includes 13 full length albums, 10 EPs, and a cache of singles and live recordings. Low found themselves critical darlings, and toured across the world for nearly 30 years. They are one of America’s great independent bands.Tragically, Low came to an end in 2022, when Mimi Parker lost her battle with cancer. During our chat, Alan and I talk about the grief that he has endured since losing his wife. We also discuss the joys of working with Mimi, who often nailed vocal recordings in a single take despite feeling sheepish about performing. We also cover the math teacher/nun who sold Alan his first bass amp, and we even unravel how to find the spark for a song.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Alan for joining me. You can find out all about his work in Low and his new solo musical efforts at https://www.alansparhawk.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

Alex Amen has gotten a lot of mileage from his brief time on the planet. Although he wasn’t born until 1999, Amen has already lived on both of America’s coasts, and explored much of its rugged natural beauty. He has spent time living in a commune, made his home on an island, and even scaled some of the west coast’s most intimidating mountains as a free climber. Amen has packed all of this life and more into the 9 years since he first left his Gulf Coast hometown in Texas in the hopes of finding a brighter, and bigger world than he could in Sugarland.Having garnered all of these life experiences before the age of 30 gives Amen the vibe of an old soul. Alex brings this same timeless approach and attitude to his debut album, Sun of Amen, out now on ATO Records. The album’s ten songs play like a lost folk-country classic that hangs like a ghost freed from time. There are nods to Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce, and John Denver, but Amen never loses the power and purpose of his own voice.During our discussion, Amen shares what a powerful influence John Denver’s songs were as a kid travelling to the Colorado Rocky Mountains with his family. We cover the limitations of his hometown and the pathway that he found to a bigger world. There are stories of climbing the Sierra Nevadas, forays in film school, and even finding a commune in the middle of Anaheim, California in 2017. This is a fascinating conversation with a young artist who is wise beyond his years, and who has lived more life in 27 years than most folks do in a lifetime.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Alex for joining me, you can find his new album Sun of Amen wherever you get your music, and check out his website at https://alexamen.com/ for more info. 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

Stephin Merrit is one of the most esteemed songwriters alive today. For three and half decades he has been the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist at the heart of the New York based band, The Magnetic Fields. The band was formed in 1991 by Merrit and his friend and musical collaborator Claudia Gonson. Over the next five years The Magnetic Fields would release a quintet of excellent albums built around Merrit’s genre-fluid songs, and unique arrangements that often featured cello, ukulele, hand percussion, noisemakers, and other unusual instrumentation.Things changed completely in 1999 with the release of the now infamous 69 Love Songs, a towering three record set of tunes that pushed and pulled at the seams of what makes up a love song. The triple album was an unexpected hit with critics and audiences alike, thrusting Merrit into a new spotlight with praise flowing from outlets like The New York Times, which just counted Merrit as one of the 30 greatest living American songwriters, as well as The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and NPR.While The Magnetic Fields continues to be an ongoing entity, Merrit has also branched out in his creative work with forays into composing for musical theater, scoring for films, and even writing a book of poetry. Merrrit also writes and records music with a pair of other bands, The Gothic Archies and Future Bible Heroes.During our conversation, Merrit and I discuss his itinerant upbringing with a single mother, and he shares some of his earliest musical memories. We also delve into Merrit’s unique writing style, and the way that he hangs on to his melodies after he writes them, all based around an important lesson that he gleaned from Swedish greats, ABBA.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Stephin for joining me. You can find his work in The Magnetic Fields wherever you get your music, and check out their website at http://www.houseoftomorrow.com/magneticfields for more info on the band and Stephin’s ongoing work.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

David Lynch is a director known to spark wildly different reactions from cinephiles and movie fans. There are legions of fans who claim Lynch as one of the great American auteurs, and see him as one of the finest filmmakers that the world has ever produced. There are also those that will stand tall and proud to proclaim Lynch a cinematic charlatan, and nothing more than a self indulgent weirdo filming his most outlandish fantasies. But say what you will of his work, David Lynch was a completely unique voice in the history of cinema.Author and film scholar Mike Miley has taken on the herculean task of unpacking Lynch’s work, its origins, and its impacts on American culture. His new book, David Lynch’s American Dreamscape takes a deep look at the ways that Lynch was a master at showing us the underbelly of a seemingly idyllic American existence, one filled with cherry pie, carefree teenagers, and white picket fences. Author, and friend of the pod, Sarah Kendzior has also written deeply about the ways that Laura Palmer’s arc in Twin Peaks serves as an allegory for the Epstein Scandal and America’s rampant mistreatment of women.Miley and I dive deep into Lynch’s world to learn where the filmmaker found the fuel for his completely singular cinematic sensibility. We explore the impacts that Lynch has had not just on the film world, but also in the realms of music and literature. Miley also paints a direct line between Lynch’s filmic outlook and some of the sacred texts of children’s literature.Before we even get into the subject at hand, Mike and I begin the conversation with a chat about him seeing the Jason Narducy and Michael Shannon band playing R.E.M.’s Life’s Rich Pageant album, which eventually leads to some chatter about Wilco and even a bit of discussion on the state of modern day Dad rock. Rest assured, we get to the Lynch stuff after just a few minutes. So, please buckle up, this is a fascinating chat that looks deeply and thoughtfully at one of the most original artists this country has ever produced. Here now are me and author Mike Miley on David Lynch, America, and more.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C -------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Mike for joining me, you can find his new book David Lynch’s American Dreamscape online at the link in the show notes. You can learn more about Mike and all of his work at https://www.mikemiley.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

Hey gang. Last Monday you may have noticed that we had a double dip on the podcast. At 5:00 am that day, I released a terrific chat with New Zealand indie rock legend, David Kilgour.Later that morning while working in the Sheddio, a technical glitch on Substack caused me to also post a second episode of the day, this time with the legendary Robyn Hitchcock. While the timing on the episode was a bit of a bummer, it was a treat to share this conversation with the world. As such, I’m reposting it here this morning. If you haven’t already taken the time to listen to this one, be sure to put it in the queue. Robyn and I go deep on a wide variety of issues. Enjoy the replay.Robyn Hitchcock has been living like an artist since childhood. Born to eccentric, artistically inclined parents, Hitchcock quickly took to drawing, painting, and music. The family lived something of a sheltered life surrounded by music, art and literature, making Robyn’s transition to school social life quite challenging. By his late teens and early twenties, Hitchcock began playing in The Soft Boys, releasing a pair of now legendary albums that were largely ignored at the time of their release.After the dissolution of The Soft Boys, Hitchcock set out as a solo artist, recording for a small label, but success eluded him there as well. For a time, Robyn stepped back from music, working odd jobs and writing about concert and record reviews for music publications. During this hiatus, it became clear that the solo records, and even some of The Soft Boys material had made its way to America where it had found a small, but loyal audience. Buoyed by this newfound support, Hitchcock set back to work with a new backing band, The Egyptians, and made a string of excellent records that helped to cement his reputation in both America as well as in his home country.Over the intervening forty years, Robyn Hitchcock has continued to release a catalog of legendary work that spans from psych rock to gentle folk and jangle pop. He has toured and record with members of R.E.M., Scott McCaughey, Andy Partridge, and a cadre of other terrific artists. His 25th album, The Confuser will be out in July on his own imprint, Tiny Ghost Records.During our roving chat, we covered some of the stark cultural differences between the United States and Great Britain, as Robyn shares his belief that America has both the best and most awful things to offer the world at large. We unpack why music has become a mostly DIY endeavor, even for folks like Robyn Hitchcock, and how that has shaped the nature of the business and the experience as a musician, and Robyn even shares how rough it is for a man living on a libtard diet to find a good meal on tour in America.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Robyn for joining me. You can find out all about him and his work, as well as his upcoming tour dates at https://www.robynhitchcock.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

Damien Jurado has fully embraced the digital behemoth as a delivery method for his music. In an era when vinyl, t-shirts, and touring are said to be the economic engine for artists, Jurado has doubled down on the value of his own work. In recent years, Jurado, an acclaimed singer/songwriter with an impressive catalog that spans more than 25 years, has taken to releasing his work in a digital format via Bandcamp and then eventually, to streaming sites like Spotify and Apple Music.As a truly independent artist, this approach has allowed Jurado to work much more quickly and more efficiently as he releases his new work. By distributing solely in a digital format, Jurado doesn’t incur the hefty costs and lengthy wait times of vinyl production. And surprisingly, Jhe has seen his fans invest more heavily in digital releases than they do in the releases that are also available on vinyl or CD.As a music lover who has spent a life collecting vinyl records and glorifying physical media, I was fascinated by Jurado’s pragmatism and his results. We dove deep into the real costs, both economic and environmental, of making physical products like vinyl and Compact Discs. Jurado shares his path from hardcore to the life of an acoustic singer/songwriter, while even offering up a bit of advice to budding young songwriters.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Damien for joining me. You can find out all about him and his work at https://damienjuradomusic.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

Robyn Hitchcock has been living like an artist since childhood. Born to eccentric, artistically inclined parents, Hitchcock quickly took to drawing, painting, and music. The family lived something of a sheltered life surrounded by music, art and literature, making Robyn’s transition to school social life quite challenging. By his late teens and early twenties, Hitchcock began playing in The Soft Boys, releasing a pair of now legendary albums that were largely ignored at the time of their release.What Am I Making is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.After the dissolution of The Soft Boys, Hitchcock set out as a solo artist, recording for a small label, but success eluded him there as well. For a time, Robyn stepped back from music, working odd jobs and writing about concert and record reviews for music publications. During this hiatus, it became clear that the solo records, and even some of The Soft Boys material had made its way to America where it had found a small, but loyal audience. Buoyed by this newfound support, Hitchcock set back to work with a new backing band, The Egyptians, and made a string of excellent records that helped to cement his reputation in both America as well as in his home country.Over the intervening forty years, Robyn Hitchcock has continued to release a catalog of legendary work that spans from psych rock to gentle folk and jangle pop. He has toured and record with members of R.E.M., Scott McCaughey, Andy Partridge, and a cadre of other terrific artists. His 25th album, The Confuser will be out in July on his own imprint, Tiny Ghost Records.During our roving chat, we covered some of the stark cultural differences between the United States and Great Britain, as Robyn shares his belief that America has both the best and most awful things to offer the world at large. We unpack why music has become a mostly DIY endeavor, even for folks like Robyn Hitchcock, and how that has shaped the nature of the business and the experience as a musician, and Robyn even shares how rough it is for a man living on a libtard diet to find a good meal on tour in America.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

David Kilgour and his older brother Hamish formed their band The Clean while they were still teenagers. The pair had fallen in love with the British Invasion sound that roared to life in their earliest years and incorporated it with the punk and new wave sounds happening in the late 1970s. Until their adolescent years, the Kilgours had lived an idyllic country lifestyle filled with long hours in nature and farm work. After moving to the city of Dunedin, the brothers quickly made the transition to “city kids”, as David puts it.Quite quickly The Clean began to make a name for themselves and began recording for the famed Dunedin label, Flying Nun. They would go on to record a legendary string of singles and EPs for the label through 1982 before going on a hiatus that lasted through the remainder of the 1980s. The Clean reformed for the 1990 LP Vehicle, and while their reformation would be sporadic, the band would go on to release a quintet of LPs between 1990 and 2009.In addition to his work in The Clean, Kilgour has released a spate of his own records both as a solo artist and with his band The Heavy Eights. He is also an acclaimed visual artist and painter. It’s clear from spending an hour with David Kilgour that he is a man who truly lives his life deeply immersed in art. During our chat we did our best to unpack the legendary Dunedin sound, and we explored the power and influence that punk had on the Kilgour brothers as they began to form their own band. Please be advised that David and I also discussed the impact of losing his brother to suicide in 2022.Join me now to look backwards and forwards with a bona fide New Zealand legend, Mr. David Kilgour.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to David for joining me. You can find out all about him and his work at https://www.davidkilgour.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

Matt Palka seems to have already crammed more than one lifetime of experience into his 49 years on the planet. Growing up in rural Northwest Ohio, Palka was the youngest child of a pair of historical reenactors and small business owners. Matt’s youth was filled with myriad hours in the great outdoors. He and his siblings were often left alone for long stretches of time as youngsters, free to explore the wilds around them. By the time Matt was in late elementary school, his family began running a fudge shop which quickly became the center of family life. It was assumed by his family that Matt would take over the business, but he felt another, more creative calling.After a post-college theater internship failed to materialize, Palka found himself without any momentum or much of a plan. When a friend phoned to suggest that he come visit her in Tahoe, Matt replied his car would never make it over the Rockies. The friend joked that he made the journey on a bike. Palka responded to that joke with a “why not” attitude, and so began a grand adventure. Matt has chronicled that massive cycling journey in his new book and audiobook, Moment In The Sun. The audiobook version of Palka’s adventure is fully sound-designed and includes an album of original songs that accompany the story.Unwilling to rest on his laurels, Palka has already begun work on a second immersive audiobook, this time chronicling his life as a clubhouse manager for the Toledo Mudhens. During our chat, Matt shared some stories of life in the dugout and the journeyman catcher that supported Palka’s dream at a time when he felt rather invisible. We also dove deeply into the lessons that can only be learned on the open road, and the idea of making the world your own laboratory.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Matt for joining me. You can find out all about him and his work at https://www.mattpalka.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

Scott McCaughey is a man about town in the world of indie rock. He first leapt on to the scene as leader of the Young Fresh Fellows in the early 1980’s, but that has been far from his sole musical pursuit. Over the intervening four decades, McCaughey has also led The Minus 5 and is a founding member of The Baseball Project along with recent guest Steve Wynn. In addition to that trio of terrific bands, McCaughey has also toured and recorded with REM, Wilco, and Robyn Hitchcock just to name a few.In November of 2017, McCaughey suffered a stroke and wondered if his days of music making might be behind him. Peter Buck of R.E.M. brought a guitar to McCaughey while he was still recovering in the ICU. McCaughey remembers being able to make a D chord or an A minor and feeling as though recovery and rehabilitation might be possible. Thankfully, McCaughey has recovered significantly from the stroke and has returned to recording, playing live, and even performing solo, a task that still leaves him a bit uneasy.During our terrific conversation, Scott and I talked about his reticence to playing as a solo performer as he gets ready to play alone and unadorned at Wilco’s vaunted Solid Sound Festival this summer. We talked about the rhythms and rituals that make baseball feel like home, and we grapple with the gross reality of being inundated with sports betting propaganda while trying to simply watch a baseball game. Scott also shared the difficult story of losing his little sister while out on a recent tour, which leads to ruminations on the cycle of work, death, life, and play, and so much more.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Scott for joining me. Be sure to check out his work in The Young Fresh Fellow, The Minus Five, and The Baseball Project wherever you get your music. 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

Josephine Maytas and Craig Jones have forged a life together built around rock and roll and the open road. Maytas, a veteran travel writer, and Jones, who is a musician and political economist have spent the better part of the last two decades seeking out the most sacred spaces on the American sonic landscape. Their travels have taken them from the Delta of the Mississippi to the Appalachian hills of southwestern Virginia, and from the dusty plains of Oklahoma to the wilds of the northern woods, and nearly everywhere in between.Maytas and Jones have taken these collected aural explorations and put them in a pair of terrific books that catalog and contextualize the places where American music was born and bred. Their first book, Chasin’ The Blues, follows the origins and the evolution of American blues music. The pair’s newest book, The Music Lovers Guide To North America is a tome dedicated to some of the holiest sites in modern American music. Our pair of intrepid guests have visited museums, halls of fame, birthplaces, recording studios, graveyards, and private homes to find the ghosts of our musical past.During our chat, Craig and Jo share some of their favorite spots, including a few of the places that were wholly surprising to them. We break down the energy and reverence of these sacred sonic spaces, and we try to capture the holy experience of standing in the spot where greatness happened. Plus, we’re even treated to a few tricks and tips for how to get the most out of your next rock and roll pilgrimage.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Jo and Craig for joining me. You can find out all about their work and get both of their terrific books at https://musictravelguides.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

Eric Johnson describes himself as a midwestern mutt. During Johnson’s early years, his family moved around a lot throughout the midwest with stops in Wisconsin, central Illinois, and both of Michigan’s peninsula’s before the family finally settled in the Chicagoland area. By the time Eric reached his high school years, he was dabbling in theater and music. Once he moved into the city from the suburbs, Johnson figures he could have either landed at Second City or The Old Town School of Folk Music to find his path. He found the Old Town School first and began working in earnest as a songwriter.Johnson soon found himself collaborating with the members of the Chicago band, Califone. That band’s encouragement and access to recording equipment led the way to the creation of the first two Fruit Bats LPs, Echolocation and Mouthfuls. Throughout the early aughts, Fruit Bats continued to churn out excellent records to critical acclaim and a small, but passionate fanbase.Within the last ten years, Johnson has seen his band, and his own creative work blossom. During our chat, Eric shares the wave on which he and his band have been riding for the previous decade. There is a surety in this recent work that has brought forth a looser, and more playful version of the band. There has also been an uptick in fan interest as Fruit Bats have seen their audiences grow at the same time their work is reaching an artistic zenith.The band’s most recent effort The Landslide is a sprawling, shimmering example of the creative wave that Johnson and his band are riding at the moment. Eric and I discussed the evolution from the early work with Califone through to the present day, and some of the ways in which time and place have changed Eric Johnson both as a person and as a songwriter.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Eric for joining me. You can find out all about his work at http://www.fruitbatsmusic.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

Hunter Morris is the kind of musician that has held on to his day job. It is a tale as old as time; a singer/songwriter churns out good work that improves and evolves over time. Yet, he still cannot find a large enough audience in the days of streaming to generate a full time income. So, on most mornings, Hunter Morris heads to work, pulling on a pair of waders and prepping the tackle for his fly fishing guide business, which takes him to rivers across northern Georgia.Fishing and the outdoors have been integral to Morris’ life since he can first remember. Growing up in rural Georgia, Hunter ran wild in the woods, and along the streams of the area. Rural life may have offered a pastoral approach to living, but Morris found it deeply lacking in cultural enrichment. As much as he loved the natural surroundings and the fishing and hunting culture that abounded in his small town, he also longed to find a place with more culture and curiosity.Eventually, Morris corralled his own curiosity and a new batch of songs to form his first real band Gift Horse. Although, they only released one album, 2010’s Mountain Of Youth, a title which Morris would be hard pressed to let go of, the band helped to set an important foundation. By 2017, he evolved into a poppier brand of slackened Americana with the outfit Hunter Morris & Blue Blood, which rattled off a trio of terrific albums in a handful of years. Now, Morris has emerged under the moniker Mountain Of Youth with a new batch of songs he’s christened Nowhere, NW.During our rapid fire discussion, Hunter and I covered the musical evolution he has made from Gift Horse through Blue Blood and into Mountain Of Youth. This new project and the new album are an attempt by Morris to stand on his own two feet as a musician and as a songwriter. While he received production help on the record from Ben Hackett and enlisted a crew of excellent players, Morris also sought to open up and allow himself to be more vulnerable when writing and recording the new album.Hunter talked openly about the sacrifices that are made to live like an artist. He shared a poignant story of how his former high school classmates have gone from deriding his pursuit of a life built around fishing and music to reminding him how lucky he is to do what he loves. Morris then quickly pointed out that while there is always a degree of luck in life, it takes an incredible amount of work and discipline to run your own business and to work to make a name for yourself in the music business. We discussed the idea of making your own luck, the surety that everything will fall apart sooner or later, and the joy of seeking out the freaks in this world.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Hunter for joining me. You can find the new Mountain of Youth album wherever you get your music and you can follow him on Bandcamp at https://mountain-of-youth.bandcamp.comThe 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

Andrew Kenny and his bandmates have always been good scrapbookers. They kept tour flyers, set lists, photographs, press clippings, and loads of other ephemera from the earliest days of The American Analog Set. As the band began to work with the esteemed reissue label, Numero Group, these scrapbooks took on an outsized value. The resulting pair of box sets chronicling the length and breadth of the AmAnSet catalog are gorgeous both aurally and visually.Kenny grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, slowly finding his way into a life immersed in music. He joined his first band in high school and then formed another short-lived outfit before the Analog Set began in earnest in 1995. During their initial stint from 1995 to 2005, the band were darlings on the indie scene, touring worldwide and garnering critical acclaim for their recorded work. The band’s 2001 breakout release, Know By Heart remains one of my favorite records of the last twenty five years.For nearly two decades the band was largely silent, but Kenny kept busy with his side project Wooden Birds, as well as working on original scores for film. In 2023, The American Analog Set reemerged with a new album, For Forever, and have even played a few one off shows in spots around the country.During our discussion, Andrew and I also talked about the deep presence and connection of playing music with other people. We also explored the unique language of each band and how that language, at least for Kenny, turned an ordinary life into an extraordinary one. You’ll also find talk of being too dumb to quit, being a fan of your own band, and why Fort Worth has nothing to do with Dallas.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Andrew for joining me. Be sure to check out all of his work and upcoming tour dates at https://www.amanset.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

Steve Wynn formed his first band, The Light Bulbs at age 9. His second outfit, Sudden Death Overtime got its start while Wynn was just beginning middle school. Eventually, after a series of youthful explorations of a life in music, Wynn formed The Dream Syndicate in 1981. Success came quickly for that band as they found themselves entwined with a burgeoning new psychedelic pop scene in Los Angeles that was being dubbed The Paisely Underground. This cadre of bands included Green On Red, The Bangles, The Three O’Clock, Opal, and The Rain Parade.While the Paisley Underground scene was short-lived, it provided a massive boost to the beginning of the Dream Syndicate’s career. By the time the band released their second album, they spent eight weeks touring with R.E.M., garnering them a much larger audience. The Dream Syndicate were critical darlings however, and not a huge commercial success, and by 1988, Wynn and his bandmates packed it in to go their separate ways.Since the dissolution of The Dream Syndicate, Wynn has been busy with a prolific solo career and a busy life of side projects. In 2007, he formed The Baseball Project, a band which writes songs solely about the great game of baseball and its history. The Baseball Project, whose well-pedigreed lineup features Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck, Linda Pitmon, Wynn, and even Mike Mills on occasion, has now released four full length records and tour regularly around the US.Wynn also has a long history of playing house concerts and appearing in alternative venues. During our conversation, we discussed the beauty of playing in smaller and more unique spaces, especially as a solo artist. Steve and I also talked about how limitations and prompts, like writing about baseball, are helpful for his own creativity. We also hit upon the compulsion of the creative mind, and the sacrifices that one often has to make to live life fully as an artist.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Steve for joining me. Be sure to check out aloof his work and upcoming tour dates at https://www.stevewynn.net/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

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

You could think of Numero Group simply as a record label, but you’d be missing the point entirely. Sure, with its massive catalog of neary 1,000 releases, it is technically a label, but as their own ideology says, “There is no Numero sound, rather there is a Numero aesthetic.”Ken Shipley and his partner Rob Sevier first began Numero when Shipley lost his job at the famed massive reissue label Rykodisc, a place famous for churning out reissue packages from legendary artists like David Bowie, Nick Drake, and myriad others. As Shipley began work on what would become Numero Group, he focused on seeking out lessor known artists to reissue.Much of Numero’s early catalog was defined by their Eccentric Soul series, a running series of compilations featuring some of the finest, but lessor known sounds in American regional soul. These comps often focused on now defunct labels that once featured groundbreaking artists, or they might have laser-focus on the soul scene in a particular community. Yet, while soul may have helped build the business at Numero, Shipley and his colleagues were always seeking out new and exciting sounds regardless of genre.In the two plus decades that Numero has been in business they have dabbled in afrobeat, disco, funk, soul, lounge music, ambient, new age, techno, slowcore, punk, shoegaze, lo-fi pop, and more. Numero has taken an almost museum-like approach in much of the curation work they do with these releases. Buying a Numero record is a listening experience that often comes with scholarship, contextualization, and enlightenment about the artists involved.During our chat, Ken and I discuss Numero’s process for finding sonic needles in the hay stack, sharing the long arc that can often be required for a record to eventually see the light of day. We cover the fading regionality of American music and the ways in which the internet has homogenized some of our sounds. Ken and I talk about how Numero helps to foster sonic curiosity, all while striving to be a label that has offerings for the music lover from teens to octogenarians.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Ken for joining me. You can find out all about his work at https://numerogroup.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

Morgan Nagler began working as an actor at age 5. For more than two decades she starred in a variety of movies and TV series for a handful of networks. By the time she hit her mid-twenties, Nagler was ready to leave acting behind and take a swing at the songwriting life. She was at first incredibly shy to her songs, keeping them close to her vest. Encouraged by her friends Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett of the beloved indie rock outfit, Rilo Kiley, Morgan shed at least some of the shyness and dove into songwriting.As Nagler gained her confidence, she found herself co-writing with Rilo Kiley, Phoebe Bridgers, Kim Deal, and HAIM. Her first band, Whispertown 2000 was largely engineered by Jenny Lewis who found players to help bring Morgan’s songs to life. That experience saw her play shows across the country in a variety of circumstances, including a non-stop 30 day run of house concerts sponsored by MySpace.Naglers first solo album, I’ve Got Nothing To Lose, And I’m Losing It was released this March. Morgan and I got the chance to chat the day before she left for a cross country tour in support of King Tuff. Along the way, Morgan walks us through how she avoided the pitfalls of life as a child actor, ther maturation of her songwriting, and fully investing in the collaborative process.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Morgan for joining me. You can find out all about her and her music at https://morgannagler.bandcamp.comThe 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

You can hear the raw and unguarded version of today’s guest when you listen intently to The Bootleg Recordings Of Marshall Crenshaw. This new collection of Crenshaw originals, which was released on Record Store Day of this year, was culled from a trove of work tapes recorded while making his third and fourth albums. These recordings afford listeners and fans the opportunity to hear a host of unvarnished material, exposing the blood and bone of the songs.Marshall Crenshaw grew up in the leafy post-war suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Although Motown, The MC5, and the glitter of the big city were just minutes away by car, the Crenshaw family largely stuck to the safety of the streets near their home, eschewing all that Detroit had to offer, except on the rare occasion of a ball game or a trip to see holiday lights.After high school, Crenshaw found himself with dwindling prospects at home and hit the road for New York and then eventually Los Angeles. He auditioned for bands, performed in the touring company for Beatlemania, and shopped his songs to any producer or label that would take the time to listen. Eventually, Crenshaw landed a deal with the small Imprint Shake Records which released his debut single, “Something’s Gonna Happen” in 1981. On the strength of that single and a few other demo recordings, Crenshaw inked a deal with Warner Bros. Records.Marshall Crenshaw’s first two albums, Marshall Crenshaw and Field Day found both critical and commercial success, and landed Crenshaw in a pair of Hollywood roles. He appeared first in Francis Ford Coppola’s Peggy Sue Got Married as part of the wedding band that is prominently featured in the film. Later in the same year, Crenshaw appeared in La Bamba as the ill-fated first wave rocker, Buddy Holly.During our conversation, Marshall and I discuss his childhood in Detroit and his urge to get out once he had reached adulthood. We cover his early days in both New York and LA, including a riveting story about a compromised producer that inadvertently gave Crenshaw the confidence to produce his own records. We talk about being in over your head, and learning to swim your way out. Plus, we cover helping to maintain the legacy of another great power pop band of the 80s and 90s. It’s a great conversation with a truly unique artist still working at a very high level.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Marshall for joining me. You can find out all about him and his work at https://marshallcrenshaw.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

Eef Barzelay has seen the peaks and valleys of the music industry. In the course of a lifetime playing music, Barzelay has toured the world as a solo performer and in his longtime outfit, Clem Snide. He has had his songs used in motion pictures, and major TV commercials. He’s written original songs and scores for independent films, while also continuing to tour and release new music regularly.Barzelay has also suffered through a painful divorce, had his house in foreclosure, and was even forced to declare bankruptcy at one point. More than one time he was sure he had reached the end of his career in music. Still, he forged ahead, beieving that better days would arrive.During our conversation, Eef and I cover a great deal of ground. We delve into his birth and early upbringing in Israel before his family moved to New Jersey while Eef was an elementary schooler. Barzelay talks about his spiritual path and even parses out his complicated relationship with the country of his birth. We also cover Eef’s long and winding path to today which has also included crowd funding his records, writing bespoke original songs for his fans, and embarking on a series of house concert tours.Eef openly discusses the economic realities of the music business in 2026, while also wondering if perhaps the business is as egalitarian as it has ever been. We talk about being “jazz famous”, and the concept of freedom over fame. There is discussion about the cinematic nature of Eef’s songwriting, and the ways in which we can use songs to explain our own experience.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Eef for joining me. You can find out all about him and his work at https://www.clemsni.de/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

Every record is something like a sonic quilt; a pastiche of songs and sonic ideas laid out as a single product. That quilt might be stitched together with mechanical precision or it might have been hand-sewn by a grandmother with shaky hands. The squares of fabric used for our quilt might be of uniform shape, or they could be a collection of misshapen rags.Jason P. Woodbury’s newest album, Jason P. Woodbury & The Night Bird Singing Quartet plays like a bespoke seamstress setting to work with both precision and playfulness. Astute listeners of the album are likely to pick up notes of My Morning Jacket, Fruit Bats, Michael Penn, and Woods, but Woodbury is anything but a copycat. Treading a line that dips into alt-folk, cosmic-country, and neo-Americana, Woodbury and his collaborators have stitched a quilt perfect for crisp fall evenings.In addition to his terrific recorded work, Jason spends most of his days at the esteemed indie music blog, Aquarium Drunkard. He also has a terrific Substack called Range and Basin, where he writes and podcasts about music and culture. This work, in addition to his musical pursuits, gives Jason an interesting perspective on the state of today’s musical ecosystem. We talked openly about the role of the curator and critic in a world where we can access any music we want to hear at a moment’s notice.During our conversation, we talked about Jason’s childhood in rural Arizona and covered some of the Phoenix and Tempe music scenes that soared in the 1980s and 90s, and ultimately influenced him and his work. Jason shared his early experiences singing with others in church, and the profound impact it made on his young mind. We also hit upon the best ways to wear your influences as an artist. We got into the ragged nature of songwriting, and we discussed the necessity of making difficult choices in your art.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Jason for joining me. You can find out all about Jason and his work at https://jasonpwoodbury.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

Jack Rabid was bitten by the drug of rock and roll before he even hit adulthood. Before he was old enough to drive, Rabid was taking the train from Northern New Jersey into the city with friends to soak up the burgeoning punk and art rock scenes happening across Manhattan’s Lower East side. Often, this ragged pack of high schoolers would be forced to spend the night in the city when the trains stopped running before the rock shows they were frequenting would end.By the time high school came to an end, Jack and a buddy found a sublet in the city and moved in the week that they graduated. Rabid immersed himself in shows on an almost nightly basis. At the urging of a friend, he began working on putting his experiences at those shows into written words. After this pair of budding scribes had each devoted one hour to writing about their showgoing exploits, they put together a fanzine, the very first issue of The Big Takeover.Since that summer of 1980, Rabid has been dutifully printing regular issues of the magazine. Each issue is packed with show reviews, record critiques, and in-depth interviews with some of the brightest luminaries in indie and punk rock. It’s also crucial to Rabid that The Big Takeover stays in print. While he has embraced the immediacy and the convenience of the internet, Jack insists that there is still something sacred about the tactile glory of the written word.In addition to his journalistic exploits, Rabid is also a founding member of the shoegaze band Springhouse, who have toured voraciously throughout North America and the world while garnering praise from MTV, Rolling Stone, Spin and a number of other esteemed outlets. While the band is largely inactive these days, Jack shares a story from the band’s semi-recent visit to Kalamazoo, MI for the KalamaShoegaze Festival.Having spent half a century ensconced in the NYC music scene, Jack is filled with great stories. In this episode he shares a few nuggets about having Alan Ginsberg as a landlord, seeing XTC at his first show, being radicalized by Bowie at 15, disappointing Steve Albini by taking him to see the Replacements, and so, so much more.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Jack for joining me. You can find his work at https://bigtakeover.com. Be sure to subscribe to the print version of the magazineThe 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

There is a rhythm to life in the south that appeals to MC Taylor, the mercurial mind and voice at the center of the band Hiss Golden Messenger. Taylor has come to treasure that slower cadence of life in North Carolina, a place he has now called home for roughly two decades. Growing up in southern California during the 1980s, Taylor was a typical LA kid. He spent his days skating and soaking up the sun.Eventually, the Bay Area and the allure of starting a band pulled Taylor to San Francisco where he fronted Court And Spark, a cosmic folk/country band that helped Taylor to hone his songwriting chops, and find a bit of musical footing. After the natural dissolution of Court & Spark, Taylor and his partner moved to the Durham, North Carolina area where he formed Hiss Golden Messenger while also pursuing a master’s degree in folklore studies.Taylor’s work in the world of folk studies led him to a greater understanding that good songwriting requires presence. He’s also made an effort to be as efficient in his songwriting as possible, continually trying to say more with fewer words. Taylor also mentions that his songs are where he puts his vulnerability. That openness and the raw vulnerability within his songs are an intrinsic part of what makes Hiss Golden Messenger such an engaging listen.During our chat, MC and I hit upon his San Francisco glory days and wax poetic about the magical musical scene there in the Y2k era. We talk about field recordings, story collecting, Grammy nominations, and the Newport Folk Festival, while also dancing toward the inward places within ourselves. This is a great conversation with a terrific songwriter who is also a thoughtful and gentle soul.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C---------------------End CreditsThanks so much to MC Taylor for joining me. Be sure to check out the new Hiss Golden Messenger album, I’m People, wherever you get your music, and you can find tour dates and more info at https://hissgoldenmessenger.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

Anna Canoni describes herself as a coalholder for the legacy of her grandfather, the late great Woody Guthrie. Anna is the third, and most recent steward in a line of women helping to keep Woody’s work available and alive. Like her grandmother, Marjorie, and her mother Nora, Anna is now entrusted with the whole of Woody’s songs and writings to ensure that his work will be available for future generations. These are the women that have been stoking the fire of Woody’s legacy for more than 70 years.Almost every American alive knows Woody Guthrie, and his legendary tune, ‘This Land Is Your Land’. That now famous song was Guthrie’s response to Irving Berlin’s sappy, and nationalistic ‘God Bless America’. With his unique brand of simple genius, Woody managed to weave civic pride, natural beauty, and the very ideas of opportunity and fairness into a four minute ditty that was also easily memorable. In the eighty plus years since he first penned it, the song has been sung by hundreds of millions of Americans, many of whom have often failed to notice its deeper meanings.While the song is his hallmark, ‘This Land’ was far from the sum total of Woody’s contribution to our national cultural heritage. Guthrie traveled the country far and wide to see its citizens as they actually lived, and then wrote openly about those realities using humor, honesty, and generosity. By singing songs of and for the people, Woody helped to capture an often overlooked America filled with dust bowl refugees, migrant workers, itinerant laborers, and farmhands.The folks at Woody Guthrie Publications are dedicated to keeping this legacy and work alive and well. During our conversation, Anna and I talk deeply about the work of her grandfather, and his quest to capture the spirit of humanity in song. Woody believed deeply in the collective power of people, and in the responsibility of every citizen to be engaged and activated.Anna and I also spend a good chunk of time focused on Woody’s 1948 tune, ‘Deportee’, which chronicles a plane crash near Los Gatos Canyon, California wherein 28 migrant workers and three crew members died. In the subsequent news reports, only the white passengers that died were named, with all other, non-white victims listed simply as “deportees”. I share the story of my own recording of the song, and we discuss the meanings of the tune in the era of Trump’s mass deportations, and the killing of two innocent Americans on the streets of Minneapolis this winter.It’s clear to see that Woody Guthrie and his work remain incredibly relevant today in our very fractured America. Thankfully, Anna and her team at Woody Guthrie Publications are continuing to keep Woody’s beliefs and ideas alive through the preservation and publication of his incredible archive. Even in the years after Woody’s death, Anna, her grandmother Nora, and their team have worked with Billy Bragg and Wilco to complete the Mermaid Avenue albums, a series of recordings based around Guthrie’s lyrics. Anna and her team have also worked with Dropkick Murphys on a pair of albums using previously unseen lyrics from Woody.Through these continuing projects, and constant archival work, Woody’s legacy is being secured for generations to come. In addition to the archive, and the subsequent recordings and special projects, there is now a Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The center describes itself as a place that celebrates the life, music and artistry of Woody Guthrie while seeking to ignite a passion for social change and foster a world in which the values of justice, equality, and compassion prevail.Join me and Anna Canoni as she shares all of this and more about her amazing and legendary grandfather, Woody Guthrie. Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Anna for joining me. You can find out all about Woody Guthrie, and all of her work at  https://woodyguthrie.org/. You can also find out more about HUntington’s Disease at https://hdsa.org/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

Bob Andrews fell ass backwards into becoming the touring manager for Uncle Tupelo and Wilco. He’d been working at a drum shop in Nashville and was good friends with Ken Coomer, Uncle Tupelo’s drummer. After a brief meeting with the band, Bob was hired. He went on to manage Tupelo, and eventually Wilco through the initial tours for their 1996 opus, Being There. Undertow began the same year that Andrews walked away from the Wilco gig, as he began to take on management duties for clients like David Bazan of Pedro The Lion.Over the course of the intervening thirty years, Bob and his ever expanding roster of mid-level artists have been building careers amidst an ever-changing and increasingly difficult musical landscape. By leveraging the intimate power of house concerts, Andrews has also helped to foster a burgeoning underground network of alternative venues.More than a decade ago, Jayne Ballantyne came on board as an intern. Coming from a theater background, Jayne combined her navigational skills with a penchant for logistics and a deep love of music to become a natural at the dark arts of artist management and booking. Today she counts herself as a partner in Undertow with Bob.Artists That Have Worked With UndertowAnders ParkerBad Bad HatsBottle RocketsCalifoneCave SingersChris BrokawChris StaplesClap Your Hands Say YeahCraig Finn (The Hold Steady)Damien JuradoDanielle DurackDavid BazanDavid DonderoDiane CristiansenEarlimartEef Barzelay (Clem Snide)Emma SwiftEric Bachmann (Archers of Loaf)Flock of DimesForrest Kline (HELLOGOODBYE)Geoff FarinaJason NarducyJenn ChampionJeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate)Jesse Sykes & The Sweet HereafterJohn VandersliceJosh Caterer (The Smoking Popes)Julia NunesJustin Kinkel-SchusterKevin DevineLady LambLaura GibsonLaura Jane GraceLaura VeirsLauren Ruth WardLenoreMaria Taylor (Azure Ray)Marie / LepantoMark Eitzel (American Music Club)Matt Talbott (HUM)Mike Doughty (Soul Coughing)MirahThe MynabirdsNataly DawnNora O’ConnorOceanatorPeter Silberman (The Antlers)Pedro the LionRichard BucknerRocky VotolatoS. CareySamantha CrainSarah BorgesSay HiScott McCaughey (R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows)Sera CahooneShelby EarlSpencer ThomasSteve DawsonSydney SpragueThalia ZedekTim Kasher (Cursive)TORRESUp Around the SunVandaveerWalter Martin (The Walkmen)Warren DunesWill Johnson (Centro-matic, South San Gabriel)WussyBoth Jayne and Bob are very cognizant of the myriad changes happening within the music industry. Music is something close to free while concert ticket prices have soared astronomically in recent years. At Undertow, they’re working incredibly hard to create the best possible environment for each and every show. They have developed a network of reliable hosts across the country, and with each show are spreading the gospel of the house concert.These shows are not just terrific experiences for audiences, they are also a great deal for the artists as well. House concerts help to cut out the middle man costs that exist at most established venues. This means that an artist can keep the vast majority of what they make without the venue taking a big cut on ticket and merchandise sales. For many middle class artists, that means a night playing to just 40 or 50 people can still pay the bills, all without charging ridiculously high ticket prices.During our conversation Jayne and Bob share some of the frightening economic realities for artists not at the top of the pile. We discuss what a golden age it is right now for house shows and alternative venues. And, we talk about the ever expanding definition of what it means to host a “house concert”. We also cover the unexpected community that has popped up around Undertow, and we even rail a bit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation. This one does include a little inside baseball on the music industry, but it’s a crucial conversation for anyone that loves live music.So, here now are Jayne Ballantyne and Bob Andrews from Undertow Shows. Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Bob and Jayne for joining me. You can find out all about their work and upcoming shows at  https://undertowmusic.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

Growing up in rural Kansas, Robin Hilton took a job in radio as a teenager mostly because it sounded cool. At fifteen, a pair of friends helped him land a weekend slot at a local station, and a career on the airwaves was born. The job came with almost no creative freedom as Robin stuck closely to a color-coded playlist for his weekend shows. Eventually, Hilton left the station for a more lucrative position at the local grocery store, but it would be far from the last time that he would grace the airwaves.After high school, Robin trucked off to the big city of Lawrence, for a stint at the University of Kansas. While there, he found his way to the college station where he eventually became a reporter. As a reporter, Robin went on to win more than two dozen awards for his work, as both a reporter and a newscaster, from The AP, the National Association Of Broadcasters, Public Media Journalists Association (then called PRNDI) and more. He eventually landed at NPR’s Morning Edition, where he worked as a Production Assistant before starting as the Assistant Producer for All Songs Considered in 2001.Hilton and Bob Boilen, then the head of All Songs Considered, worked to turn NPR into one of the most esteemed outlets for music curation and criticism. Their collective work at All Songs has been heard on hundreds of NPR affiliate stations, and has been downloaded by millions in podcast form. In 2008, Boilen and Hilton began co-hosting All Songs Considered. Since Boilen’s retirement in 2023, Hilton has taken over full hosting duties.Hilton has also been instrumental in the creation and growth of NPR’s incredibly popular and influential YouTube series, Tiny Desk Concerts. These stripped down performances, all happening in a small space at the NPR Music offices, have featured some of the most famous and exciting performers working in music today. The series focuses on raw, unfiltered performances, and have drawn more than 40 Million views, and have helped to launch careers of up and coming artists, to recontextualize the work of veteran performers.During our chat, Robin and I unpack the true cultural influence of radio in the 21st century, and we take a peek at the power of music in a fraught era. We discuss the art of the album in the age of the algorithm, while tackling the role of curation and criticism in a world where nearly all western music is available at the touch of a button.Robin shares his personal path from Kansas to the studios at NPR. We tackle the necessity for more listener investment in the digital age, and stare down the reality that our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter by the day. How are these waning attention spans affecting the way we listen to music? And we wonder if having easy access to so much music is perhaps diminishing the quality of our listening experience.Come join me for a fascinating chat with a radio lifer that still believes in the art of the album, the power of radio, and the true value of hard fought music discovery.Here now are me and Robin Hilton. Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C------------------------Thanks so much to Robin for joining me. You can find out all about his work at NPR’s All Songs Considered. 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

Singing came to Esther Rose almost as early as breathing did. She began by singing harmony with her sisters, often taking the highest portion of their three-part harmonies. As she grew into writing and singing her own songs, Rose slowly learned to transform those beautiful harmony parts into a powerful and melodic lead instrument.It took Esther Rose a few years and more than one locale to find the full throated version of her own voice. Growing up with what she describes as, “hippie liberal parents”, Rose was exposed to art, music, and culture at an early age. She even had the benefit of a practical arts education in a place where that might seem awfully unlikely.By her teenage years Rose had started work at writing her own songs and eventually moved to New Orleans with a boyfriend in her early 20’s to pursue a life in and around music. While in the Crescent City, Esther learned to play guitar and worked at songwriting with a full time dedication.Esther Rose has now released a quintet of terrific albums that incorporate Americana, folk, and pop into her ever evolving sound. She describes her most recent album, Want as “a roadmap to recovery”. In 2023, after a lengthy tour schedule in support of her Safe To Run album, Rose found herself exhausted, anxious, and on the verge of walking away from music altogether.Thankfully, through a great deal of work, that included the help of psychedelic therapy, Rose is now healthier than she has been in a very long time. Esther opens up about the process of her treatment and its effects on her life. She also speaks eloquently about the ways in which the power of collaboration have helped to shape the sound of her more recent work, and enhanced her connection to the outside world.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C----------------End CreditsThanks so much to Esther for joining me. You can find out all about his writing, music, and more at https://www.estherrose.net/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

Wesley Stace grew up in a home where excellence seems to have been par for the course. Stace’s parents were both intelligent and talented educators that instilled a love of academia and the arts into all of their children. Wes, for his part, would find his path to excellence through words. After attending a series of noted boarding schools throughout England, Stace entered university at Cambridge, where he obtained a degree in English Literature before enrolling again to complete a Ph.D. in Social and Political Science.After leaving Cambridge, Stace began to perform his own compositions under the stage name, John Wesley Harding, named after a famed outlaw and the lead character of a Bob Dylan album. Eventually, Wes landed a recording deal that resulted in It Happened One Night, a live solo album released in 1988 on the small imprint, Demon Records.That first live album was enough to grab the attention of famed record executive Seymour Stein at Sire Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Stein offered the up and coming singer a record deal, and hooked him up with a producer who managed to score the rhythm section for Elvis Costello’s backing band the Attractions to play on the album. The resultant record, Here Comes The Groom, was a critical and college rock hit that opened Wes to a brand new audience in America.In the intervening 35 years, We has released more than two dozen albums as John Wesley Harding, or under his own name. In addition to those impressive sonic accomplishments, Stace has also penned a quartet of novels, as well as a series of essays and articles for a variety of well known publications including the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.In 2009, Stace began staging The Cabinet Of Wonders, a live variety style show that features musicians, authors, comedians, and storytellers. These shows have featured luminaries from the worlds of indie rock and publishing including Rosanne Cash, Graham Parker, Josh Ritter, Rick Moody, Colson Whitehead, Jonathan Ames, A.C. Newman, Rhett Miller, Steven Page, Eugene Mirman, and Kristin Hersh.In recent years, Stace obtained his US citizenship. During our conversation, he talks openly about the process of becoming an American at a difficult time in the country’s history, and what the choice has meant to both him and to his family. Wes and I discuss the lonely pursuit of writing and the joyous powers of collaboration. This is a fascinating chat with a thoughtful and whip smart artist, who despite being wildly prolific, still feels like he could be doing more.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Wes for joining me. You can find out all about his writing, music, and more at https://www.wesleystace.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

Warren Zanes never expected to be a writer. As a teenager, he began a band, The Del Fuegos, with his older brother Dan. Zanes didn’t possess much of a plan, but he rode the rock and roll dream for a few years while it lasted. The Del Fuegos managed to sign a deal with Slash Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. The band enjoyed critical success and found excited audiences across the country. During the three year run that Warren was in the band, The Del Fuegos also toured with INXS, Tom Petty & The Hartbreakers, ZZ Top, and X.After leaving the Del Fuegos, Zanes pursued a life in academia, studying at New York University, Case Western ReserveUniversity, and the University of Rochester where he obtained a Ph.D. in Visual and Cultural Studies. It was during this stretch in the ivied halls of scholarship, that Zanes would find his talent and his passion as a writer.Since earning his doctorate, Zanes has chronicled the behind the scenes stories of some of the most notable creators of the 20th century. His first book, a study of the revered Dusty In Memphis album by famed singer Dusty Springfield, was the first book published in the esteemed 33 ⅓ series, an ongoing collection of short books about great records. Zanes had first been encouraged to write for the series by songwriter and friend, Joe Pernice, who was also working on his own contribution for the 33 ⅓ series.Zanes has gone on to pen a pair of books about Tom Petty, and he helmed Revolutions In Sound, a retrospective of the first five decades of Warner Bros. records. Despite all of those accolades, Zanes is now probably best known for his 2023 tome, Deliver Me From Nowhere, which chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska album. Last year, the book was adapted into a major motion picture with Jeremy Allen White starring as Springsteen.During our extensive conversation, Warren and I touch upon the way he sees AI shaping the minds of his young students, and the ways in which technology and the pandemic have severely altered their lives and our greater culture. Zanes opens up about having an absent father, and the ways that absence shaped his own approach to fatherhood. There is talk of resilience, the path to sobriety, and finding the greatest joy in the smallest moments, like eating pizza out of the back of a station wagon. There’s loads here to love.Cheers,Matty C------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Warren for joining me. You can find out all about his writing, music, and more at https://www.warren-zanes.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. BaldwinYou 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

Tobin Sprout is an artist in the truest sense of the word. Sprout is an esteemed fine arts painter with a vast collection of gorgeous works that often catalog the magic within the mundanity of everyday American life. In addition to his accomplished visual art, Sprout is perhaps best known for his musical output, most notably as an original member of the legendary Dayton indie rock band, Guided By Voices. For more than four decades, Tobin Sprout has been churning out songs, paintings, illustrations, and even children’s books.Yet, for all of his creative output, it is the way that Sprout lives day to day that proves his artistic intent. With a monk like devotion, he returns to his work each day, lamenting the arrival of the weekends and the expectation that he should put work on the back burner. This is a man who is always on the creative path, forever out seeking new ideas and inspirations.Tobin grew up the child of visual artists, and took to painting and drawing immediately. In fact, Sprout was so naturally gifted at creating with his hands that he assumed everyone possessed the same skills that he did. While studying illustration and design at Ohio University, Tobin refined his artistic acumen, and began to hone a unique visual voice. After he returned home from school, Sprout fell in with a budding songwriter named Robert Pollard, and the pair began making music with a new band that Pollard was calling Guided By Voices. The rest, as they, is history.Pollard, Sprout and company would go on to become one of the most legendary acts of the indie rock era. The original lineup of Guided By Voices, which featured Sprout, would release nine albums in nine years. Tobin and I discussed what it was like to be a songwriter in the same band with Bob Pollard, a man known for his Herculean output and creativity. Working quickly, and cheaply, was key to GBV’s success. Tobin shares one story about a now famous tune that was written and recorded on a boombox in a basement in a single afternoon.During our chat, we hit upon the pendulum swings of artistic life, and the sacrifices that we often have to make to balance our creative work with our home life. This balance of proriorites truly hit home for Tobin the moment his son was born five weeks early in Dayton, Ohio while he was still out on tour in Vancouver with Guided By Voices, essentially ending the original lineup of the band.Sprout has also had a sterling solo career outside of GBV. He’s released eight full length albums as well as a series of EPs and singles. Tobin has also fronted the band Eyesinweasel, a sort of solo non de plume, and made a pair of records with Pollard in a project that they dubbed Airport 5. In 2010, Sprout even rejoined Guided By Voices with other members of the original lineup. Over the course of five years, that reinvigorated GBV classic lineup would go on to release seven albums and play a raft of shows.These days life is a bit quieter for Tobin Sprout. He works daily in his studio, and enjoys a leisurely life in the wilds of Northern Michigan. While he could likely rest on his laurels and fade into retirement, the artist inside Sprout is still itching to get to work every morning. And that’s just the way he likes it.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C----------------End CreditsThanks so much to Tobin for joining me. You can find out all about his music and visual art at https://www.tobinsprout.net/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. BaldwinYou 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

By the time he was in middle school, Pete Ganbarg could spot a hit song. While the rest of his peers were dancing and hanging out with girls while the music played, Ganbarg wondered if what he was listening to was “a hit. Perhaps even more peculiarly, Pete was obsessed with why something was a hit or not. Since that moment, Pete Ganbarg has been fixated on what really makes up a hit song.As he points out in our talk, just because something is popular doesn’t mean that it’s great. And, in much the same way, just because something is great, doesn’t mean that it will become popular. Ganbarg has spent his adult life and his whole career trying to thread the needle, seeking out acts that are both great, and that have the potential to be a smash success.Ganbarg fell into an A & R job almost by accident. His taste and his confidence in what he liked and why impressed a record executive enough to offer him a job. That coincidental hire led to a sixteen year career at Atlantic Records, where Ganbarg oversaw some of the most commercially successful albums of the CD era.With his vast experience and impressive rolodex, Ganbarg began working on Rock & Roll High School, his terrific podcast that features interviews with folks from across the musical spectrum about both their work and their lives. The show, now in its fifth season, delicately balances the hidden stories of artists, and their work, while also offering a window into the mind and life of a wide range of great musicians.During our conversation, Ganbarg and I cover one of the great regrets of his A & R career, and we hit upon why knowing the history of rock and roll is still crucial for young people entering the music business. Pete also explains why curation and taste are even more important in the age of the algorithm.A quick production; I had some Zoom connection issues during my chat with Pete. There will be a choppy edit or two, but it’s nothing that will distract from the conversation. So, here now are me and the A& R legend that is Pete Ganbarg.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C--------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Pete for joining me. You can find his terrific podcast, Rock & Roll High School wherever you get your pods, or at https://www.rockschoolpodcast.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. BaldwinYou 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

Jessica Dobson began showing off her musical acumen before she could read chapter books. On a car ride as a very young child, Jessica sang along with the radio, as many kids do. However, instead of singing along with the lead melody, Jessica sang her own harmony part with the recording. Her mother was understandably stunned. With encouragement from her family, especially a “rock and roll” aunt, Dobson learned to play guitar, largely eschewing traditional lessons for a more didactic path.As her abilities and talents grew, Jessica began dabbling with the act of songwriting and slowly started building her own unique voice. Dobson began to blossom as a guitar player, approaching the fretboard with a fierce combination of raw talent and deep focus. Eventually, Dobson formed Deep Sea Diver with drummer Peter Mansen. The project was built around Jessica’s songs, her powerful voice, and her brilliant guitar playing. Around the same time that Deep Sea Diver formed, Jessica landed a gig playing in Beck’s live band on the massive Modern Guilt tour.On the heels of the formation of her new band and touring with Beck, Dobson found a new home as a member of The Shins, touring with the band for close to three years. In 2013, Jessica left the Shins to pursue Deep Sea Diver full time. Since the band’s inception, Deep Sea Diver have released four albums and a trio of EPs. Over the course of the band’s history it is easy to see the evolution of Dobson and her songwriting. With each successive record, Deep Sea Diver have become more confident and more self-assured.During our chat, Jessica and I take a long look at the path to today, both musically and personally. We cover the depths of self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Dobson shares the personal story of the difficult false starts involved in making the most recent Deep Sea Diver album, Billboard Heart. Jessica shares how a Wim Wenders film inspired her in the process of making the newest album, and she teaches us how to live with our antennas up.This is a fascinating conversation about self-discovery, intuition, artistic faith, and the path to finding your own voice.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-----------------Thanks so much to Jessica for joining me. You can find her work in Deep Sea Diver wherever you get your music. Please remember to buy local or direct from the artist whenever possible.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. BaldwinYou 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

Dan Nordheim’s amazing podcast Life Of The Record is a treasure trove for record nerds like me. On each episode, Dan focuses on one important album in the annals of rock history. But these episodes are far more than a simple academic rehash of famous records and rock star exploits. Nordheim conducts in depth interviews with the people that made these records to get the truth of where these artists were in their personal and professional lives when they made these groundbreaking albums.The stories told on Life Of The Record come directly from the mouths of the folks who lived it. There are no talking heads or historical perspectives, just first person accounts of what really happened. Nordheim deftly weaves his excellent interview footage with song snippets to create a gorgeous aural history. For his part, Nordheim takes a behind the scenes approach. His voice only appears on the pod during the intro, allowing him to remove even his own persona from the finished product, letting the record and the artist stand on their own terms.Life Of The Record’s impressive catalog now features more than 60 episodes that play like full length audio documentaries. During that run, Nordheim has helped to share the fascinating stories behind records from beloved acts like Tom Petty, A Tribe Called Quest, Bonnie Prince Billy, Richard & Linda Thompson, My Morning Jacket, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and many more. In cataloging these stories, Nordheim is preserving a wide swath of rock history in audio form. Every episode and interview offers a wealth of information, insight, and enlightenment about some of your favorite albums of all time.So, come join me and Dan Nordheim for a dive into how some of the greatest LPs of all time were constructed, and some of the lessons that have been learned along the way.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-----------------End CreditsThanks so much to Dan for joining me. You can find his podcast, Life Of The Record at https://lifeoftherecord.com/ or wherever you get your pods.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. BaldwinYou 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

Matt Caughthran is a true child of Los Angeles. Growing up on the city’s east side, Caughthran was immersed in the Latino culture that permeated his neighborhood. Within his working class confines, Matt learned to skate at an early age and quickly became fascinated with the world of hardcore and the power of rock and roll. By the time, Caughthran was in his early 20’s, he was already fronting the boisterous punk outfit, El Bronx.After several years together, El Bronx hit a bit of a creative wall. During our chat, Matt shares the story of the how the music blaring from a nearby car wash gave Matt and his bandmates the courage to recontextualize their songwriting. Through that moment of sonic intervention, El Bronx began to shift, at least in part, into Maricahi El Bronx, a makeshift mariachi band with hardcore undertones.Mariachi is a musical style steeped in history and tradition, so much so that very few new songs are added to the Mariachi canon. Caughthran and his bandmates had no idea that they were breaking long established rules. They wrote new songs, with English lyrics that still deeply evoke the themes and sounds of the style. Matt describes how the band became students of the artform, while remaining unafraid to play the music in their own way.Caughthran and I dive deeply into the cultural heritage and longstanding traditions of Mariachi. Furthermore, we explore the place for a a gaggle of gringos to insert their ideas and opinions into the style. The Mariachi community has welcomed Mariachi El Bronx with open arms. The band have developed a close relationship with Jorge Tello, a master tailor famous for his bespoke Mariachi suits. Matt and I talk about the way the band have been welcomed into ths world, and how their journey has given the band the opportunity to help shepherd the history and culture of this historic music, and the wonderful people who make it.Matt and I talk about making the new album from Mariachi El Bronx, 4, which is another gorgeous tile in the mosaic of mariachi. The record was made in the shadow of loss and grief as several tragedies befell the band while they were in the recording process, including the traumatic fires that raged across Los Angeles in January of 2025. There is also talk about the power and protest involved in playing a Mexican style of music during our current administration, and the ongoing war on people of Latino origin.Cheers,Matty C------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Matt for joining me. You can find his work in Mariachi El Bronx and El Bronx wherever you get your music. Remember to buy local or direct from the artist whenever possible.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. BaldwinYou 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

It almost seems that Shana Cleveland was destined to be a singer and a songwriter. Her parents first met when her Dad was playing in a western swing band. Even after their marriage and Shana’s birth, her parents both continued to play in a variety of bar bands and cover outfits. Growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Cleveland had always dreamed of getting out. Her childhood had been happy and filled with music, but for some reason, another place was calling.After high school, Shana settled in Chicago to study at Columbia College. Following two years in Columbia’s photography department, Shana changed her major, at least in part because of rising camera and darkroom costs. Upon completion of her Bachelor’s degree, Shana moved to the Valley near Los Angeles with an aunt and uncle. While her initial view of LA was not too rosy, the spot served as a stepping stone for her next move to Seattle where Cleveland started her first band, The Curious Mystery.During our chat, Shana describes the shift from The Curious Mystery to her current outfit La Luz, a sunny, surfy quartet channeling some of the very best sounds in 21st century rock music. Shana describes how she wanted La Luz to be joyful and even accessible for everyone; a goal she has fulfilled in spades.Openly discussing the myriad barriers that still exist within the music industry for women and artists of color, Cleveland wonders what sort of opportunities might be available were she not a woman of color.Come join me for a conversation that covers the glories of nature, the realities of indie rock touring, creating the perfect recording environment, and writing songs in the sun.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C---------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Shana for joining me. You can find her work in La Luz and as a solo artist wherever you get your music. Remember to buy local or direct from the artist whenever possible.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. BaldwinYou 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

You most likely know Jay Buchanan as the showstopping frontman for the boisterous rock outfit, Rival Sons, He has held that title for the better part of two decades. During that time, Buchanan and his band have built a huge worldwide following, and collaborated with some of the true luminaries within the spheres of Americana and rock music. In recent years, Jay has even dipped his toe into the acting world with a role in the 2025 biopic, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. Still, after all of that, something seemed to be missing. So, without a plan, Jay Buchanan went to the desert to create deliberately. Unsure exactly what he was chasing creatively, Buchanan connected with an old friend to borrow a windowless bunker in the expanse of the Mojave Desert. It was in this isolated environment that Jay set to work writing a series of songs that would become his first solo album, Weapons Of Beauty. That record, which often presents a different musical and lyrical side to Buchanan’s work in Rival Sons, is an unfiltered ten song collection that beautifully captures Buchanan’s raw vocals and lived-in storytelling.During our chat, Jay discusses his time in the desert, as well as the experimentation and faith that were required to complete Weapons Of Beauty. He even admits that as he boarded a plane to record the album, he had no idea whether or not his ideas and his songs would be good enough to pull him through. Day by day, and song by song, he built the record with producer and longtime collaborator, Dave Cobb, still never sure how successful the end results might be. This conversation also includes a fair amount of heady discussion and introspection. Jay shares his love of Transcendental Meditation and also declares that joy is a choice to be defended. We cover the limitations of living in the middle of what we’ve begun calling “The Technological Choke”, and we talk about running through life with a child's wonder. There is discussion of the joys and lessons of parenting, and the pursuit to maintain something of a tumbleweed lifestyle. This conversation actually happened in two parts. Jay and I had a chat for about thirty minutes when we were cut short by a family emergency. Thankfully, everything at home was all good, and Jay and I were able to reconnect a week or so later. As such, this chat is a bit longer than normal, but I assure you that it’s worth every second. Join me now for a broad and absorbing conversation about finding the magic that is there to be seen out there. Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C---------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Jay for joining me. Be sure to grab his new solo record, Weapons Of Beauty now wherever you get your music. 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. BaldwinYou 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

Will Hermes grew up at the epicenter of cool. Coming of age in Queens during the mid-to-late 1970’s, Will was faced with a binary choice; head east and go out further out on Long Island to find a life of quiet, comfort and suburban tranquility, or head west and venture into the intimidating wild of Manhattan. Without a second thought, Hermes opted for the gritty, mean streets of the city and found himself witness to the burgeoning scenes happening all throughout Manhattan and the other boroughs in the late 1970s and early 80s.Will saw Television at the famed club, CBGB’s shortly after the band released their infamous debut album, Marquee Moon. Hermes also attended a ton of other shows within the vaunted NY punk and no-wave scenes as well as making forays into the city’s Latin music scene, early hip hop, jazz, and more.Almost since he first fell in love with the New York music scene Will became entranced by writing about what he was hearing and seeing. His terrific tastes and his way with words have led to his work with vaunted outlets such as The New York Times, National Public Radio, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Uncut Magazine, and more. He has also published a pair of terrific books, Lou Reed: King of New York, and Love Goes To Buildings On Fire, a story of five years in the New York music scene of the 1970s.During our roving discussion, Will and I explore his old New York haunts a bit while also focusing on the here and now of the musical world. Will shares his recent affection for Latin Pop which is having a real moment right now behind the momentum of Bad Bunny Super Bowl appearance, and singer Rosalia, who just sold out a series of shows at Madison Square Garden.Will and I also delve into the place where we sit in our current cultural and musical ecosystem. We explore the value and role of the critic in an era when fans can hear anything they want to for no additional cost than a Spotify membership. There is talk of the influence of the algorithm and how it affects our relationships with criticism and with curation. And, we discuss the ways in which our criticism and conversations about music have changed, simply by shifting the way we listen to music.There is also talk of focusing on the culture at the fringe and what that can tell us about what might be the next zeitgeist. Will and I discuss the oppressive nature of mass culture, and even explore the value and excitement of cultural curation in an age of endless information.Here are a pair of music nerds talking about how much great music is still being made, how tough it can still be to find it, and why it all matters now more than ever.Cheers,Matty C------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Will for joining me. Be sure to subscribe to his great Substack, New Music Is Old Music at https://newmusicoldmusic.substack.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. BaldwinYou 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

The legendary band, The Bats, and its bass player, Paul Kean could only have come from New Zealand.Paul Kean grew up in a seemingly out of the way place, and was raised by truly extraordinary parents. Paul’s father was a born performer, and he could often be found at the piano leading the family and guests in song after dinner had finished. He was also an adept ventriloquist, often showing off a different side of his personality through the veil of the dummy. Paul’s mother had been an emigre from England who bravely came to New Zealand to begin anew after life in the UK had failed to fulfill its promise.Paul shares his early remembrances of a childhood in New Zealand that feels both idyllic and palpably real. There are glimpses of his earliest memories of film and music, including a visit to the cinema to witness rock and roll come to life in the form of Bill Hailey and The Comets.With a mother that Paul claims was always trying to climb the social ladder, the family moved from house to house with regularity. Paul believes this itinerant lifestyle helped to build his resilience and prepare him for life as a touring musician, even though the family’s fortunes did not always match with his mother’s ambitions.The influence of the port in the Christchurch area where Paul grew up, had an enormous impact on the music, movies and even musical instruments that the locals could get their hands on. Taxes on instrument imports at the time were quite high and foreign sailors would often sell guitars, basses, and other gear to locals off the books to avoid the import tariffs.During our chat, Paul shares his impressions of being in the same band for 40 years, and how he feels that The Bats have evolved both in their sound and in their approach to life as musicians. On March 6, the band will resume their biggest tour of New Zealand in decades.This is a charming, and heartfelt conversation with a gentle soul who also happened to help shape one of the most important scenes in the history of indie rock.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-----------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Paul for joining me. You can find out all about his work in The Bats at https://thebats.co.nz/ 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. BaldwinYou 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

David Lowery is a something of a renaissance man. He is a singer and songwriter known the world over for his work in Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker. Lowery is also an esteemed member of academia, teaching the ins and outs of the music business to students at The University of Georgia. In addition to wearing both of those hats, David has spent much of his time over the last fifteen years working as an advocate for musicians, helping to fight for fairer streaming rates for artists, and working to expose the inherent economic unfairnesses of the music industry.Growing up the son of an Air Force father and a British mother, David spent his earliest years in England, and in Franco’s Spain before moving back to a series of locations in the states. Eventually, the family settled near Los Angeles and by the time he had finished high school, David was enrolled in the mathematics department at UC Santa Cruz, and had begun knocking around in bands. Lowery started Camper Van Beethoven in 1983 and the outfit were releasing albums and touring by 1985 building a loyal fanbase along the way.Over those last forty years Lowery has been hard at work helming Camper Van and/or Cracker, touring relentlessly and releasing 18 studio albums between the two bands. Whether he’s playing songwriter, touring artist, professor, or advocate, David Lowery is seemingly always in motion. With his experience on the front lines of rock and roll and with the perspective of an academic, Lowery has a unique window into the challenging nature of the music business in the digital era. He is using his impressive arsenal of skills to help level the playing field for emerging and middle class artists.During our chat, we touched a bit on David’s musical work, but spent the bulk of our time together diving into the cultural costs of digital streaming, and looking at the way that young people are engaging with culture. We discussed the double edge sword presented by the internet, and David even shares some stories on ways that he has reached out across political and cultural divides to affect positive change for musicians.Cheers,Matty C----------------------------------------Thanks so much to David for joining me. You can find out all about his work in Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker and as a solo artist at https://300songs.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. BaldwinYou 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

Will Worden did his best to follow the well worn path. After high school in Texas, Worden enrolled in the College of Business at Baylor University in Waco. He committed himself to the sales program until he realized he was simply not cut out for office life. Worden abandoned business school and packed up some belongings seeking out a new adventure in Southern California.Will was drawn to California by the skate and surf culture he had been excited about as a kid back in Texas. The laid back culture, coupled with the local musical history of Capitol Records, the Wrecking Crew, and Laurel Canyon all collided to feel like a beacon for Worden.In 2022, on the eve of a family vacation to Alaska, Worden’s girlfriend informed him that she was leaving him and would not be going on the trip. Alone, and heartbroken, after years playing guitar and sheepishly attempting to write his own songs, Will wrote the bare bones for what would become his first twelve finished tunes. Upon returning home from the trip, Will set to work with a friend and co-producer Chris’ Dixie’ Darley, as well the musical whirlwind that is Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. to craft a gorgeous album filled with winsome heartbreak, and towering paeans to loss. The resulting album The Only One And All The Others, plays like a 21st century redux of an era filled with the sounds of Glen Campbell, Lee Hazelwood, and Kris Kristofferson. Rolling Stone even proclaimed, “his voice intersects Elvis Presley and Gordon Lightfoot”.Will and I talk about how the record came to be and all that he has accomplished in the wake of completing it. His plans for 2026 include the release of another, already completed album of songs, as well touring with his terrific live band. We explore the conditions that make for a great recording, and even talk some inside baseball on making records that feel like the room in which they were recorded.In discussing his rather foolhardy move to California, Will referenced a favorite poem of his which reads in part, “Nature loves courage”. Worden’s courage not only led him to the sunny confines of California but helped him to overcome his Alaskan heartbreak, and to allow him the chance to find a series of collaborators and supporters that have led to his terrific debut album, and so much more.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to Will for joining me. You can grab a vinyl copy of his debut LP at https://www.vrecordsusa.com/will-wordenThe What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. BaldwinYou 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