What Am I Making Podcast

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

Club 603 has hosted hundreds of shows since it first began more than fifteen years ago. Known for its intimate and welcoming vibe, as well as its impressive and eclectic history of performers, Club 603 has become one of the premier places to play in all of Baltimore.The stage, such as it is at 603, has hosted a slew of indie-rock luminaries including Luna, Alejandro Escovedo, Pedro The Lion, Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, Wussy, Jason Narducy, Emma Swift, Will Johnson, Mark Eitzel, and dozens more. Here’s the catch, Club 603 is not a music venue, a listening room, a bar or a restaurant. It’s a private home, owned by Scott and Jean Vieth.The first show at Club 603 in 2010 was something of a surprise, even to Scott. He had contacted a house concert booking agency to inquire why a particular artist wasn’t planning to play in Baltimore. Within a matter of days, Scott found himself prepping to host his first house show. That first show with Anders Parker and Will Johnson was a great night, but Scott considered it to be something of a one-off until two years later when they hosted another trio of shows. Gradually, the Vieths began to host shows as many as 18 or 20 concerts a year. The names coming to play got bigger and the tickets began to sell out quicker for every show.Scott and I geeked out on the glory of the house show. We tried to recreate a bit of the intimacy and camaraderie of these living room performances, and explain in a bit more detail just exactly what makes these happenings so very special.With a capacity of 50, Club 603 is also a great financial opportunity for many smaller touring artists. Scott explains that all of the money generated at these shows goes back to the artists. In addition to artists keeping 100% of the ticket sales and merch revenue, Scott and Jean also feed the musicians, and offer them a spot to crash in their home. Club 603 isn’t just a great time, it’s a great deal for the artists that grace their stage as well.In the midst of our conversation, Scott was sharing stories of his favorite moments from these shows, and he talked about some of the connections made over breakfast with these artists the morning after the shows. In discussing the connection with artists he loves and admires, as well as in covering the goodness of the people who attend these shows, Scott simply said, “These shows are a magical thing”.While I have not had the chance to play at Scott and Jean’s yet, I can assure you that a well hosted house show is indeed a magical thing, and it appears that right now, no one is doing that better than the Scott and Jean Vieth at Club 603 in Baltimore.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C--------------------------------------You can learn more about Scott and Jean’s house concert history and their upcoming slate of shows at http://www.club603.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

Jason Narducy never dreamed in a million years that he would be the one to get all four members of R.E.M. back on stage together. But somehow, it happened. For years Narducy and his friend and actor Michael Shannon have been playing R.E.M. tribute shows with a crew of Cracker Jack Chicago musicians. In late February of 2025, Narducy, Shannon and company were playing a sold out show in Athens, GA, as part of a tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of R.E.M. ‘s second album Reckoning. All four members of R.E.M. were in attendance for the gig and one by one they appeared on stage for an emotional and historic moment. It was pure magic.Since forming a childhood punk outfit that he christened Verböten at the age of ten, Narducy has enjoyed a life that revolves around rock and roll. Aside from the R.E.M. band with Michael Shannon, Narducy is renowned for his work playing bass with the Bob Mould band and in Superchunk. He also has a terrific band of his own called Split Single driven by Jason’s great songs and voice. As if that were not enough, he also tours regularly playing guitar in Sunny Day Real Estate.In addition to reuniting one of the greatest acts in rock history, and playing in rock clubs across the world, Narducy is now a published author. His new book, Mostly The Van, Volume 1 is a look at the beautiful absurdity of touring in a rock band. Narducy shares myriad stories of struggle, humor, and empathy in his terrific tome. In addition to being a tremendous series of tales, it is also an unvarnished look at the not so glamorous life of the touring musician.In recent years, Jason has also become one of the artists most active on the house show circuit. Jason and I spend some time hitting upon the intimate beauty of these events, and talking about the reasons why they are such an economic boost for artists without enough of a following for a typical club show.Thanks so much to one of the busiest dudes in show business for taking some time to sit down and talk about all of this and more.Cheers,Matty C-----------CreditsThanks so much to Jason for joining me. Please grab a copy of his brand new book Mostly The Van from the link in our show notes. 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

When Bill Janovitz arrived in Massachusetts with his family, he was unimpressed. Halfway through high school, Bill’s family moved from a verdant suburb on Long Island to a rural community in Massachusetts that was a full half hour from a movie theater. With far less stimuli than he had found at his old home, Bill was initially bored with The Bay State, but would gradually change his mind after moving away to college at UMass Amherst.What Am I Making is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.At university, Bill found a bustling community of writers, musicians, and budding intellectuals. He studied with renowned poets and crossed paths with a number of new friends that would eventually go on to define a swath of American indie-rock that would conquer the country in less than a decade.While at UMass, Bill built his own band, Buffalo Tom, and began to immediately gain traction. The band made a name for themselves playing across New England and venturing further afield along the eastern seaboard building a fanbase and a sterling reputation along the way. Over the course of a forty year span, Buffalo Tom have released eleven full-length albums and toured around the world.In addition to his work in Buffalo Tom, Janovitz is also a celebrated author. He has written for the famed 33 ⅓ Series as well as publishing an exhaustive biography of Leon Russell in 2023. His most recent written effort, The Cars: Let The Stories Be Told, is a definitive history of one of rock’s biggest acts. The book is a thrilling look at a marvelous band that is often not given their proper kudos.Bill and I also spent a few minutes discussing some of his “day job”, as we geeked out on the glorious beauty of mid-century architecture and design. Outside of his writing and work in music, Janovitz has built a real estate firm focused on the mid-century treasures that abound throughout Massachusetts. Bill shared a bit of his love for MCM design, and why Massachusetts is rife with it.Near the end of our interview, Bill describes himself as a rambler, and I am quite sure that I would qualify for that title as well. So, here are a pair of ramblers covering indie rock, The Cars, MCM, and a whole bunch more.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

Robbie Fulks first arrived in Chicago in 1983 with a pregnant girlfriend and not much of a plan. In fairly short order, he landed a job at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music on the city’s north side. At the Old Town School, Fulks found a community of like-minded musicians and thinkers. He honed his chops, worked on his original songs, and soaked up the atmosphere.By the time Fulks was ready to record his own material he began working with the now legendary Steve Albini at the controls. Their early efforts were recorded in the Albini basement before Steve had a proper studio of his own. Fulks paints a picture of Albini as a rabble-rouser with a firm moral code. It’s a fascinating look at a mercurial figure in the annals of indie-rock.Fulks also shares his impressions of the shifting Chicago music scene of the early and mid-1980s. By the time that Robbie had arrived in the Windy City, the wave of singer/songwriters led by John Prine and Steve Goodman had run its course, and the city had not yet become a mecca for the guitar based indie rock that would shape the sound of the 1990s in Chicago.Robbie shares the harrowing tale of making a record on a remote Scottish island with the band, The Mekons. Despite minimal planning, and haphazard conditions, the recording and subsequent tour were a remarkable and enlightening experience, mostly thanks to the Mekons leader, Jon Langford.During our discussion, Robbie shares his approach to songwriting, and even touches on a song that he has stopped playing due to its lack of lyrical sensitivity. We run through some of Robbie’s catalog, and even chat about the nature of recording, and reinterpreting a cover song. This is a wide ranging conversation with a fascinating and funny dude who just happens to be one of the very best songwriters working today.Cheers,Matty C- - - - - - - -Thanks so much to Robbie for joining me. He is out on the road in the US throughout much of the late winter and spring. You can full dates at http://www.robbiefulks.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

David Gedge’s 40 year stint as the main man behind The Wedding Present comes down in great part, to luck. John Peel, the famously powerful DJ from BBC’s Radio One took a shine to the first Wedding Present single, and played the song a whopping ten times on a single show. The power of Peel’s nationwide show and his influence as a tastemaker helped to pave the way for the Wedding Present to get a real opportunity at stardom.Gedge and his bandmates would not squander their opportunity. In 1986, The Wedding Present released their legendary debut album, George Best. The album was living proof that the band were far more than a one hit wonder. Fans and critics began flocking to the Weddoes in droves.During their four decade run, The Wedding Present have maintained a strong following throughout Europe and in their native UK, and have even found regional successes in the vast expanses of the United States. David and I talked about the differences between touring in America versus life on the road in Europe and Great Britain. We also take a look at some of the cultural differences that exist between the Brits and their American cousins.David also shares stories of working with legendary recording engineer Steve Albini in Chicago, and talks about the discoveries he and his bandmates made whilst reinterpreting much of the Wedding Present catalog during the Covid lockdowns. We cover transitioning from a singles mindset to an album outlook when making and releasing records, and David even shares the story of the time he took the Trans-Siberian Railway to a gig.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

Frank Turner is a man who largely made a name for himself by mixing pop and politics. Emerging from a youth immersed in the world of hardcore, Turner arrived on the scene as a solo act in 2005 and released his debut EP Campfire Punkrock the following year.Over the course of ten albums, five EPs, and a rash of other recordings, Turner has built a massive international following. His ninth studio album, FTHC even managed to go number on the UK Album charts the week after its release. Throughout that impressive musical history, Turner has managed to evoke both the personal and the political to forge a collection of songs that speak to almost any listener.Just before the holidays Turner and I had a brief, but fascinating discussion about how politics fit into pop music today, and we ponder whether or not a song can truly change the world. When I asked him about the lessons he’d learned from life on the road, Frank shared the story of his difficult years away at boarding school, and how it still affects his idea of home to this day.We also talk about the positive habits and life lessons that Turner has learned from life on the road and crashing on couches. They are simple lessons, but they can make for foundations upon which to base a life at home or on the road. There is verdant talk of history and its neverending mysteries and lessons. Plus, we ponder the idea that the internet will have the same influence on our civilization that the printing press had. This one might be brief, but there is a lot to digest.Cheers,Matty CShow Notes:Frank will be on tour with his band The Sleeping Souls in February and March throughout the United States. You can find full details at www.frank-turner.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. 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

After finishing the bulk of recording on his first album, Zach Schwartz was on a flight bound for the west coast praying that the plane would stay in the air long enough to get him safely home. With this record in hand, for the first time in his life, Zach felt he’d made something worthwhile and meaningful. Sitting in his aisle seat on that plane headed for Oakland, he prayed that he might get the chance to share that something special with the world.Eventually, those recordings would become the first Rogue Wave album, Out Of The Shadow. The album came about through the help of a friend and recording engineer who helped Zach make his album overnights when the studio where, his friend was working, was closed. The pair would begin work each night around midnight or one and work until the sun came up. Through a stroke of luck, the album made its way to the powers that be at the vaunted indie label, Sub Pop records. Not only would Zach survive to share his album, but he would have the help of a label with massive influence to help get the word out.As Rogue Wave gained more and more traction in the circles of indie rock, Zach began finding himself wondering how he had wound up with his songs in major movie soundtracks and video games. The big tours with headline acts and massive festivals were exciting, but they also brought on a sense of imposter syndrome for Zach. We dive deeply into the head trip that is finding the success that you have been dreaming for your whole life.Zach’s friend, collaborator, and longtime Rogue Wave bandmate, Pat Spurgeon has figured heavily into Zach’s career and into his life. The duo are the beating heart of Rogue Wave. Their story was chronicled, in part, in a documentary called D-Tour. The film follows Rogue Wave on tour while Pat is in the midst of kidney failure. As he awaited a new kidney, Pat performed self-administered dialysis on the road. The doc is a harrowing look at resiliency, friendship, tragedy, and the enduring power of music.Sub Pop is now slated to reissue vinyl editions of Out Of The Shadow as well as Descended Like Vultures, the band’s follow up LP, to celebrate 20 years of Rogue Wave. Zach discusses the process of looking back on the beginning of his musical career, this pair of early albums, and how he feels that he has changed as an artist and as a human being in the interim. We talk about the pendular nature of life, and examine how parenthood and aging have changed Zach’s songwriting and overall perspective.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

Sunset Blvd. is a shining example of greatness in American cinema. The story revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of Hollywood’s silent era who has been reduced to living the life of a recluse. Norma’s world is shattered open one day when a budding young screen writer named Joe Gillis pulls his limping vehicle into her garage. Thus begins one of the most tragic, and terrific tales that Hollywood has ever conjured for the screen.David Lubin’s new book, Ready For My Closeup, is a behind the scenes look at Sunset Blvd.. However, this tale is far more than just the machinations behind one classic film. When one tells the story of Sunset Blvd. they are digging into the darker corners of American culture. The book hits upon the mass pathology of modern fame, and shows us example after example of the disposable nature of our society. Whether we’re tossing away old cell phones or faded Hollywood stars, nothing is designed to last long in our modern life.While our chat centers around David’s tremendous new book, and the making of Sunset Blvd., it is a window into the way that Hollywood worked 75 years ago, and in many cases how it still operates today. David and I talk deeply about the personal baggage each of the films stars brought to the set, with Gloria Swanson, William Holden, and Erich Von Stroheim all playing heightened versions of their own selves. Sunset Blvd. is a film fueled by the personal anxieties of its major players, and its creator.In addition to a deep dive into one of my favorite films of all time, David and I discuss the massive power of cinema, and the sometimes troubling beliefs behind the people who helped to build the artform in its nascent years. We also explore the blurred lines of fiction and reality that permeate Sunset Blvd. and so much of what came out of Hollywood’s Golden Era.David shares stories of his film students reactions to Sunset Blvd. and a host of other movies that he teaches at Wake Forest University. He explains that way that his younger female students react and empathize with Norma Desmond, Sunset Blvd’s ersatz heroine. We also discuss the brilliant and subtle ways in which this film talks about age in our modern culture, despite being made three quarters of a century ago.This is a fascinating discussion about movies and art centered not just on our culture, but our own daily lives.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

My dear friend and bandmate Jeffery Gower and I recently returned from a splendid three week tour of the American southeast. While Jeff and I had toured together before on long weekends in our band, the Stick Arounds, this was the first time where Jeff would be gone longer than just a few days. And, while I have toured like this several times in the past as a solo performer, I have never done so with a companion at my side.During our adventure, Jeff and I visited historic sites, legendary musical spaces, and saw untamed natural beauty. If you have been paying attention to this space in recent weeks, you’ll likely have seen some of the Tour Diary posts that I have shared details of some of the time that Jeff and I spent together on the road. This chat is a supplement of sorts to those posts.Over the course of our discussion, Jeff and I cover a few highlights of the tour including some of our favorite shows and stops, a few of our favorite culinary delights, and the bevy of amazing people that we encountered. Because I lived this experience and because Jeff is such a great friend, this is a pretty poor interview in the technical sense of that word. Still, I hope this chat gives you some insight about touring as two friends share some of their favorite stories from the road.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

Mary Chapin Carpenter was working at a temp job in her late twenties one day when the phone rang. After an exchange of hellos, the voice on the other end of the line asked Mary Chapin if she was sitting down. Once she had taken a seat, Mary Chapin Carpenter was told that she was being offered a recording contract with Columbia Records. The news came like a bolt of lightning. For years, Carpenter had been working temp jobs and playing her songs in small bars and clubs around the Washington DC corridor. Now, she was about to be launched into the musical cosmos.Many songwriters would have crumbled under the pressure, but Carpenter thrived. With a batch of terrific songs and a marvelous voice, Mary Chapin released her debut album, Hometown Girl in 1987. In 1992, her fourth album Come On Come On, went on to feature seven songs that hit the Billboard Country singles chart, sold more than two million copies and turned Mary Chapin Carpenter a household name in country music.Unlike many country singers who had success in the 90s, Carpenter has continued to write and record new music with great success. In 2025 alone, she released a pair of albums. In January, she unveiled Looking For The Thread, a record she made in collaboration with Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart, a pair of Scottish folk musicians. Then, in June of 2025 she unveiled a set of her own original songs on the album, Personal History.In addition to a verdant recording career, Carpenter still tours regularly. I had the pleasure of seeing her with my mother this past summer at the beautiful Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, MI. Mary Chapin and I discuss the ups and downs of touring in the modern age, and we go deep on a pair of the folks in her backing band. Jon Carroll, Mary Chapin’s keyboard player, is a longtime friend and also a previous guest on this show. Don Dixon, who has also been on the show, and is perhaps best known for co-producing R.E.M.’s first two records, is Carpenter’s bass player. Mary Chapin shares her unabiding love for the duo, and she waxes poetic about the bonds created out on the road together.In addition to her varied and fascinating life in music, Mary Chapin and I discuss the amazing travel experiences of her youth, and the myriad lessons that exploring the world can teach us. We talk about the bravery of the artistic act, and how crucial it is in the world we are currently living in. Mary Chapin provides a wonderful lesson about self-awareness and knowing our own limitations. And, we get to discuss the drug-like sensation of singing with other people.It’s a wide ranging talk with a one of a kind talent. Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

Chris Slusarenko is a modern day indie rock Zelig. Over the course of more than thirty five years Slusarenko has channeled his unstoppable verve and enthusiasm to propel him to remarkable places. Chris has played in Guided By Voices and in the Bob Pollard side project, Boston Spaceships. For more than 20 years, he owned Clinton Street Video, an independent video store in Portland, Oregon. Chris is now currently in the great power pop outfit Eyelids, a band he formed with fellow Portlander, John Moen of The Decemberists and The Jicks. And as if those accomplishments were not enough bona fides, Chris is also the host of the Revolutions Per Movie podcast where he discusses music documentaries with musicians and other creatives.Love for rock and roll came early for Chris, and by his teenage years he had struck up a pen pal relationship with R.E.M., his favorite band. When the band came to play Portland for the first time, they even made sure to welcome Chris and his family to the show for free and invited the family to come backstage for a meet and greet with the band. The encounter only furthered Slusarenko’s deep and unabiding dedication to the power of rock and roll.As a teenager, Chris was also soaking up independent and world cinema thanks to an amazingly generous bike shop owner who loaned out arthouse and foreign films to curious kids at no cost. This opened a window for Chris that led him to find and fall in love with great filmmakers like Tarkovsky, Herzog, and others. Eventually, that initial crush on cinema led to the opening of Clinton Street Video, a shop that Slusarenko ran for 22 years. At Clinton Street, Chris hoped to create a culture that was free of shame. Although the inventory at the shop was littered with obscure and often difficult to find films, Chris strove not to have clerks laden with esoteric knowledge and a series of harsh opinions, but rather cultivated employees at the shop who were simply excited about film.In recent years, Chris has created a podcast empire through his terrific show, Revolutions Per Movie, a pod where he and a guest break down a music documentary. The show is both a deep dive into a musical film, and a wonderful ruse for deep and thought provoking discussions about art and life. The show is the anchor of a larger network of pods that Slusarenko and a host of contributors have created that are only available to Patreon subscribers. Much like yours truly, Chris Slusarenko is a man who is always making something.As if all of that were not enough, Slusarenko is also a member of the great indie-rock/power pop band, Eyelids. Slusarenko formed the band a number of years ago with John Moen, a fellow Portlander known for his work in The Decemberists and Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks. Since 2014, the band have released a quintet of albums, including albums which were produced by Chris’ old pen pal, Peter Buck of R.E.M.During the course of our chat, Chris and I manage to cover a surprisingly large amount of his resumè, which of course leads to some fascinating discussion. Chris shares his experience of being in Guided By Voices and working with Robert Pollard, a man who has been a huge influence on both of us. As we discuss Chris’ natural excitement for music and film, we cover the concept of bringing unabashed enthusiasm back to criticism and curation. Chris even talks a bit about how he got some of his favorite musicians, including Yoko Ono, Cyndi Lauper, and even Stephen Colbert to appear on his concept record.This is a wild ride of an episode with a whirlwind of a human being, and I loved every second of it. Bring your enthusiasm and hold on to your hat. Here’s me with the one and only, Chris Slusarenko.Cheers,Matty C----------------------------------------------------------Thanks so much to Chris for joining me. You can find the Revolutions Per Movie pod wherever you get your podcasts or you can support RPM directly via their Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/cw/RevolutionsPerMovieYou can also find the Eyelids terrific catalog 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

Michael Schulman started a record label without even intending to. While part of a vibrant scene of bands in the greater Washington, DC area, Michael found himself as a member of a cadre of seven musicians playing in a combination of four different bands. Knowing that the momentum behind these bands and the individual people involved could shift at any time, Schulman sought to document what was happening at the moment. The resultant EP was pressed to 7 inch and slowly, Slumberland was born.Since 1989, Slumberland has been releasing a stream of some of the best and most beloved indie pop of the modern era. What began with Schulman’s own band Black Tambourine, and early acts like Velocity Girl, Big Jesus Trash Can, and Powderburns soon brought on acts like Stereolab, The Aislers Set, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Bats, Papercuts, Veronica Falls, and Boyracer just to name a few. To look at Slumberland’s catalog of more than 300 releases is to witness an evolution of the indie and twee-pop movements over the last four decades.Schulman found himself intrigued when he first discovered punk and New Wave on a local DC free-form station, but it was The Jesus & Mary Chain that made him feel the urge to start his own band. Without any musical knowledge or lessons, Schulman and a childhood friend set to learning how to be in a band. His initial excitement over the debut Jesus & Mary Chain record, Psychocandy was the first in a series of dominoes that led to Schulman owning and running an indie label for 36 years.Obviously, during Slumberland’s run, the world, the musical economy, and Schulman himself have all changed. Mike and I discuss how difficult it is to find coverage for bands in a shrinking musical ecosystem. We also both wax a bit poetic about the power that was once wielded by the music press and college radio. Mike and I also wonder if the actual power and influence of music is waning in our modern culture.Mike and I discussed the amazing variety and quality of the music that was dubbed “alternative” or “college rock” in the days before the Grunge boom. We talk about the challenges of owning and running a label in 2025, and the changing nature of where Schulman’s focus and priorities are in relation to Slumberland and its future output. We also acknowledge that every creative work is a political act, especially in today’s uber-fractured America. Simply putting out a record or releasing a podcast into the world can be seen as an act of artistic defiance for the rest of modern American life.Come join me and Mike Schulman for a wonderful chat about an accidental life in the music business. Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-----------------------------------------------------------You can find Slumberland’s catalog wherever you get your music and you can support them with direct purchases on their Bandcamp page at https://slumberlandrecs.bandcamp.com/Buy tickets for our Live Recording Event at the Robin Theater on Dec. 3. http://therobintheatre.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. 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

Ian Anderson is nothing short of a legend. As the visionary flutist, frontman behind the famed English band, Jethro Tull, Anderson has been making groundbreaking music for six full decades. Jethro Tull first emerged on to the UK pop scene in the mid-to-late 1960s as part of the enormous wave of bands seeking to find fame in the wake of the massive success of the Beatles and the Stones. Throughout a winding, explorative career, Jethro Tull has amassed one of the most unique and varied catalogs in the annals of rock history.Growing up in Scotland and Northern England in the years immediately following World War Two, Anderson’s childhood was littered with the after effects of the world’s deadliest ever conflict. As a youngster, Anderson soaked up the cultural impact of the war through comics and cartoons. Later, in his teenage years, he would come to learn about the horrific treatment of minorities in America through the records he would soak up that came into his port city from across the pond.Energized by a young, vibrant Elvis Presley, Anderson dove headlong into the world of music.At first, he used the blues as a way to understand the possibilities of music, and then was gobsmacked by a pair of seminal psych records from the summer of 1967.In that same summer of 1967, Jethro Tull were part of a seminal moment in English music history. Along with The Pink Floyd, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Roy Harper, Jethro Tull would play the very first iteration of the Hyde Park Summer Concert Series in London. This famed concert series has been home to some of the most legendary acts in rock history, and Jethro Tull was there to Christen the event on its opening night.Ian Anderson describes his life in music as a sort of expeditionary force that is at sea on a perilous, artistic voyage. There is something almost perfect about the nautical analogy of deep exploration through the wilds of a writer’s own imagination and talents. To paraphrase our recent guest Josh Ritter, each record is like a postcard back home from that exploration. Anderson, for his part, has been sailing these creative seas for some sixty years now and shows no signs of slowing down.Here is a riveting, and relatively short conversation with a man that can only be described as a true legend.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

Josh Ritter describes making a record as a sonic postcard home from the world of living as an artist. As a performer and singer/songwriter, Ritter has seen a great swath of the world has to offer, and he has lived a life outside the normal confines of modern life. Living as an artist forces one to live a life of openness, and vulnerability. A songwriter’s job is to broadcast myriad often, subtle observations on the human condition that are able to make the listener feel that they have been seen, heard, and understood. It is within the connections that Josh Ritter mines for gold.In Ritter’s mind, a finished album is the tangible result of one portion of the never-ending journey for an artist. A set of songs is a snapshot into the mind of the artist at the moment the record was made, but it’s also a direct response and representation to the world that is going on around us.When an artist releases a record, it no longer belongs to just the people that made it. It becomes a living, breathing organism when strangers interact with it and are moved by it in some way. The listener is allowed, and even encouraged to insert his or her own perspectives and experiences into the song or the record, to make the finished work that much greater.Ritter describes songwriting as a sort of hallway in which he installs a variety of doors and a little bit of architectural framework around the hallway, allowing listeners to pass through the doors and connect with Josh and his songs even for just a few minutes at a time in that imaginary space.During this riveting discussion, Josh shares his perspectives on songwriting, sharing art, and why we should all be knocking on the door of joy every day of our lives. Over the course of a career that has stretched on for the last 25 years, Ritter has beautifully woven together words and music to create a catalog of songs focused on the beauty of human connection.We also hit upon the great Roger Miller, the empathetic bravery of artists that is so often overlooked, my theory on why artists are like Jack Nicholson’s character in A Few Good Men, and so much more.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

As a youngster in Little Rock, Arkansas, Ben Nichols wasn’t really sure what to do with himself. His brother Jeff had begun acting in the local children’s theatre at the age of ten, and by high school seemed destined for a life in and around the movies. With an innate curiosity and an eye for literature, Ben considered an English degree after high school, but he failed to find his calling in the prickly tedium of dissecting fiction. He turned instead to the world of reality, obtaining a history degree from a small college in his home state.Throughout his academic exploits, Ben worked at the craft of writing songs. He’d first been moved to start a band in high school, inspired by local kids who put on makeshift shows at the riverside pavilion in Little Rock. Ben loved playing in bands, but he found his true calling in the dirty work of songwriting. He became obsessive about each word, each punctuation mark, and every minute detail.By his early 20s, Ben had formed Lucero, and began touring with the band almost constantly. During their more than 25 year run, Lucero have played stages around the world, and amassed a vast, and varied catalog of music that is centered around the songs of Ben Nichols. Lucero’s tunes are often, in the words of Nichols, “about whiskey and heartbreak”, but they are also steeped in personal experience, and even family history.Ben and I spend much of the early portion of our interview talking about the terrific Lucero tune, ‘The War’ which tells the story of a young man’s experience in World War Two. The song is littered with many of the real life experiences that Ben’s own grandfather endured from D-Day through to the end of the War. While the tune is filled with personal touches and moments of history, it is also deeply resonant with themes of sacrifice, faith, and fear.At the relatively late age of 42, Ben became a father. We discuss how that massive life change has affected his songwriting, his touring, and his outlook on life. Ben also shares the ways that the economic landscape has changed significantly for Lucero since the pandemic fell upon us. Costs have risen, ticket sales have shrunk, and Ben isn’t sure what this all means for the band he has fronted for almost thirty years.Ben will also be out on a solo tour in the western part of the US starting on Nov. 5 with a fiddle player and pedal steel player in support of his recent solo album, In The Heart Of The Mountain. It was terrific to catch up with one of my favorite songwriters right before we both hit the road at opposite ends of the country.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C------------------------Be sure to catch me on the road during most of November with my dear friend, Jeffery Gower. You can find a full list of dates and even get the chance to have us play a concert at your place at https://www.phonophorerecords.com/sheddiointhesouthThe 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

In 2017, music writer John McKie sat down to pen an in-depth piece focused on the greatness of Prince’s 1987 album, Sign O’ The Times. McKie describes the finished essay as an honorable failure. It was good enough for the moment, but he was left cold by the uncharted territory not covered in the piece. John longed to trace the path of Prince from his beginnings as an artist through his impressive catalog to excavate how an artist like Prince could conceive of an album like Sign O’ The Times.In March of 2020, John lost his Dad, and within a matter of days, he found the world shuttered in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. With time on his hands and the influence of his Dad’s death, John set to work researching Prince’s history. He interviewed dozens of people involved in one way or another with Prince’s work and life. Through this vast research, McKie began to form a picture of a supremely talented individual fueled by self-doubt, and a profound desire to prove his own worth.John shares the story of Prince’s legendary gigs at the famed Ritz in Los Angeles, which were attended by some of the biggest stars of the era. These mythic shows helped Prince to land a pair of opening slots for the Rolling Stones at the massive LA Coliseum. Unfortunately, the Stones’ audience were none too kind to the young, black, funk performer from the Upper Midwest. McKie explains how this traumatic experience might have been the fuel that powered an artistic explosion that would play out over the next seven years of Prince’s career.During our chat, John and I look at Prince’s maniacal artistic pace, and the pressure that he put upon the musicians and crew-people that worked for him. We explore the artistic and financial motivations behind Prince’s switch from his own name to a logo; another move that may have been influenced by The Rolling Stones.This is a fascinating conversation about a man who is one of the few musicians that could accurately be described as a truly visionary artist. During our chat John manages to humanize Prince, and allows us to see some of the humanity behind the myth. You’re sure to find something to love within this discussion even if you’re a Prince agnostic.Cheers,Matty C------------------------------------------------Thanks so much to John for joining me. You can find his new book, Prince: A Sign Of The Times at UKbookshop.org or wherever you get your books.Be sure to catch me on the road during most of November with my dear friend, Jeffery Gower. You can find a full list of dates and even get the chance to have us play a concert at your place at https://www.phonophorerecords.com/sheddiointhesouthThe 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

If you have paid much attention to the worlds of indie rock, freak folk, and independent film in the last four decades, it’s likely that you have encountered some of the work of singer, songwriter, and actor Will Oldham. Oldham was born into a Louisville, KY family that was home to a robust record collection, and a deep regard for art and music.As a teenager, Oldham began acting in the Lousiville theater scene and quickly landed a role as a feisty young preacher in the John Sayles film, Matewan. The experience helped him to understand the ingredients for healthy artistic collaboration. The experience also set the bar pretty high in Oldham’s mind as to what could be achieved when a group of artists and craftspeople all pull in unison in one artistic direction.By the time he had finished high school, his parents had gifted him a guitar and he’d begun to learn to play familiar songs and quickly began writing his own. With his brothers, he formed a nascent band they dubbed Palace Flophouse. Will, and his brothers with varying degrees of input would make records under a variety of monikers like Palace Music, Palace Bros., or even simply Palace throughout much of the 1990s.By the late 90’s, Oldham had settled upon the moniker of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, releasing a string of critically acclaimed records that featured songs that were eventually covered by a series of massive artists including Johnny Cash, who recorded a version of the Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy tune, ‘I See A Darkness’.In addition to an extensive catalog of releases centered around his own songs, Oldham is a supreme interpreter of other songwriters as well. He’s made a series of recordings that feature terrific cover versions, including a pair of records done in tribute to the Everly Brothers and Merle Haggard respectively.Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy continues to record and tour with regularity. As Will and I discussed in our chat, he had just been booking hotel rooms for a show in Indiana the afternoon that we sat down together. And while he has learned to truly harness the joy of live performance, something that came to him later in his career, Will has grave concerns about the state of the music business, and the way fans are currently investing in and engaging with the music they enjoy.This is a roving and riveting discussion with a truly visionary, and one of a kind artist. Will shares how human relationships have always been at the core of his work, and talks about the ways that he and his band use as much local crew as possible at their tour stops to connect with local music communities in a more foundational way. We explore the artistic endeavor of being an audience member, and we take a look at how letting your guard down leads to the most magical moments of all.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

Emily White describes herself as a Music Technologist. Fresh out of college and in the early years of the rise of digital streaming, Emily landed a job at Billboard magazine where she saw first hand the ways that these new technologies were quickly and drastically changing the music industry. She describes her time at Billboard as something like getting a degree in the music business.During her Billboard stint, Emily became ever more deeply fascinated by the ways that technology changes the ways that we interact with and relate to music. Even in those nascent years of digital streaming, Emily could see that the world was changing its relationship to music in seismic ways.Fascinated by the user experience, the potential of digital streaming and the art of product development, Emily then went to work at Spotify as a founding member of the team that would go on to create the Spotify For Artists app, a resource for musicians to better harness the power of digital streaming for the benefit of their career. Emily uses her extensive experience at Spotify to offer a fascinating perspective on the biggest player in the digital streaming space. We discuss the challenges for artists in a world where music has become ubiquitous and extremely affordable.Emily does her very best to explain the complicated math behind the royalties being paid out to artists via streaming. It is a byzantine system that is based on play counts, streaming shares, user account details, and other nebulous and often confusing factors. Emily points out that it’s almost impossible to know a definitive per song streaming rate from any of the digital service providers, and she reckons there is probably not much difference between what one provider is paying over another.As Emily points out, Spotify is a really good product for the end user. It works with any smart phone, requires no storage or downloads, and provides the overwhelming majority of recorded music on the go for just a few bucks a month. For all of the complications that streaming is causing within the musical ecosystem, it’s going to take more than goodwill and a morally upright message for musicians to begin to get paid appropriately for their recorded work.This is another strand in the story of art versus economics. Consumers right now are winning, while artists lose out on proper compensation. As artists have struggled to make ends meet with those diminishing streaming royalties, we have seen a significant bump in the cost of concert tickets, which leads to Emily and I discussing the recent comments by Michael Rapino, the CEO of LiveNation, wherein he claimed that concert tickets were too reasonably priced compared to other live events like sports and theater. It is just another sign that the corporate jackals circling the music industry have zero interest in art and are instead laser focused on the cash grab.In her work as a music and technology writer, Emily has recently been focused on the resurgence of college radio. Emily has watched as student engagement has soared at stations across the country, with some seeing their participation rate doubling within the last few years. Students across the country are using these stations as third spaces on campus, creating community and connection as well as playing music and doing local reporting. In many ways, it is also a generational refutation from a growing number of students that have grown disaffected by the temporal nature of the digital world in which they have been raised.This is a captivating conversation with a brilliant writer and thinker who has seen how the digital sausage is made. Come join me and Emily White as we dive into the world of technology, music, and art vs. economics. Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

Matt Kadane and his brother Bubba knew they were destined to make music together by the time they had reached Middle School. Growing up in the small city of Wichita Falls, Texas, the brothers were raised in a musical family. Their grandmother was a terrific ragtime piano player. Their father was obsessed with jazz, pop, and the burgeoning outlaw country movement emanating from Austin, Texas. Music was a constant in their home, and as soon as they were old enough, the boys began music lessons.Eventually, the brothers would go on to form the great indie outfit Bedhead in the late 1980s. The band was slow, laconic, deliberate, and minimal. It was the perfect antidote to grunge, when that movement stormed the musical gates in 1991. Undaunted by the new sounds of that era, Bedhead doubled down on their commitment to slower songs and stripped back arrangements.During our discussion, Matt shares the story of building Bedhead from a band of brotherly love into a fully functional four piece that would garner critical acclaim, and allow the band to tour the world extensively. We talk about the ephemeral nature of shows that happened in an era before smart phones and social media. Those were nights that existed in a moment, and then were gone forever, making them seem all the more sacred.Bedhead were unfortunately lumped into a 1990s subgenre dubbed “slowcore” that also featured bands like Codeine and Low. Matt and I talk about the reductive nature of lazily lumping subcultures together based on nothing more than the most obvious parts of the music. That train of thought then leads us to a fulsome discussion of why we remember what we remember from a given era, often leading to just one or two artists from a movement being canonized, while the rest of the movement just fades away in time.We learn the lessons behind the ending of Bedhead as Matt began to pursue a Ph.D and a career in academia. Still, the songs kept calling, and Matt and Bubba soon mounted a new band they dubbed, The New Year. That outfit featured a new rhythm section, but carried on many of the same auditory hallmarks of Bedhead.Eventually, Matt secured his doctorate and began a teaching career as a history professor, leaving music on the backburner. Still, even when talking with Matt Kadane, Ph.D today, you can still feel the fires of indie rock burning bright within him.Come join me and Matt Kadane for a great chat about brotherly love, slowing things down, and a whole bunch more.Cheers,Matty COur 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.Please consider a contribution to our crowdfunding campaign for the live record with me and The Wild Honey Collective.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