The Musician's Musician with Nick Costa

After a slight delay, we're back! Not only are we back, but we're back with return guest Richard Edwards (Margot & The Nuclear So & So's) to talk about the making of two of his iconic solo albums - The Soft Ache and The Moon and Ghost Electricity/Vampire Draw. We go very in depth about the making of it, the differences in process between this and Richard's previous albums, and so much more.Nick also sat down with guitarist Mike Bloom (Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis, Julian Casablancas, The Elected) to talk about his role in the making of these records as well.And if all of that wasn't enough, award winning actress Judy Greer joins us to read an essay written by Soraya Sebghati.

In this special episode of The Musician’s Musician, I finally get to sit down with someone I’ve been wanting to talk to for years—Nick Costa. No, not me, your host... the other Nick Costa!You might know him from his wildly impressive “Guess the Song” series on TikTok and Instagram, where he’s posted over 700 drum covers without backing tracks (and nails every one of them). He’s a monster talent behind the kit, and he’s got some exciting projects in the works that we dig into.We talk about what it’s like sharing a name in the music world, his unique approach to content creation, and why the artist Mammoth (aka Wolfgang Van Halen,) and specifically the album Mammoth II, was his pick for our deep dive.

I sat down with Doc of Sawtooth Witch (formerly known as Theyself) to talk about the music of Morphine, as well as how that has informed and inspired their writing and creating. Sawtooth Witch has a new single that should be on all streaming platforms now, but go to the link above to hear it and watch the visualizer if you know what's good for you.Additionally, on a personal note, my new record When the Lights Go Out is out now! Give it a listen and go grab some vinyl over at www.nick-costa.com

Bass virtuoso and songwriter Ethan Yeshaya sits down to give some hot takes about Red Hot Chili Peppers' divisive album One Hot Minute. He also teams up with host Nick Costa for a cover of the song "Dosed" off of the album By The Way at the end of the episode!

I (Nick Costa - your host) have a new album out TODAY! To celebrate, this week's episode is a track-by-track breakdown of the new album. I discuss inspirations, song meanings, and how the songs were recorded. If you like what you hear, you can head to www.nick-costa.com and pick up a vinyl, a CD, or a t-shirt!

The one and only Alan Sparhawk who you might know from the legendary Duluth, MN band Low joins me to talk about the also legendary group The Velvet Underground. We talk about how The Velvet Underground led him to other styles of music, the influence on Low's music, what it means to be psychedelic with music, and so much more. Alan's new album Alan Sparhawk With Trampled By Turtles comes out next Friday, May 30th on Subpop. You can check that out here at the Subpop store now!On a side note, my (Nick's) new record When the Lights Go Out also comes out next Friday, the 30th! You can check that out by going to my website, https://www.nick-costa.com

In this episode of The Musician’s Musician, Nick Costa catches up with longtime friend and collaborator Ben Burwell—aka Turbo Pastel— for aconversation about Feist's iconic album The Reminder. They also discuss Ben’s upcoming EP Wimpy’s Wayside (out May 23rd), their approach to songwriting, and so much more. Additionally, Nick's new album's preorder campaign hit its goal! However, if you still want in on the exclusive preorder pricing you can go to https://igg.me/at/wtlgo

Producer, Engineer, Artist, and Frontman of Miniature Tigers Charlie Brand sits down to talk about Weezer - more specifically, their icononic sophomore album Pinkerton. We talk about Weezer's music, the influence it has had on Charlie's music, the rollercoaster of emotions from being a Weezer fan, and much more. We also talk about Charlie's experience working with Weezer while engineering Van Weezer and a few of the SZNZ EPs.Also, we only have about 3 more weeks for the preorder! You can hear the 3 singles on all streaming services right now - “Poppies”, “Cherry Blossom” and “Thunder” - in case you want to try it before you buy it. I’m also going to give the folks who preorder the album a private streaming link a week before the official release, because people THAT rad shouldn’t have to wait for a damn thing in their lives. You can also go to https://igg.me/at/wtlgo to grab your copy NOW!

Renowned guitarist Ethan Sherman sits down to talk about his love of legendary songwriter Paul Simon - specifically the album The Rhythm of the Saints.Also - Nick's new single "Poppies" goes live TOMORROW May 2nd! You can preorder the vinyl, CDs, tees, and more over at https://igg.me/at/wtlgo 

On this episode of The Musician’s Musician, host Nick Costa sits down with Ireland’s own Dylan Howe—multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and member of the band ⁠Rowan⁠, as well as the mind behind the stunning solo project ⁠Hánt.⁠Their conversation dives deep into artistry, songwriting, and the influence of fellow Irish music legend Fionn Regan. Also just a quick update on the ongoing preorder campaign for When The Lights Go Out, which is currently 66% funded! If you're into vinyl, CDs, digital downloads, or just want to snag some cool merch, check out the campaign at ⁠igg.me/at/wtlgo⁠ or via @nickcostduh on Instagram.

Musician and Producer August Ogren (Tame Impala, Ondara, Humbird, Rowan) joins Nick to talk about the legend, Tom Petty.We talk about how that has influenced his music, how he thinks about recording techniques, and so much more. It was a great chat!You can find out more about August at https://www.augustogren.com/Also, my preorder campaign for my upcoming album When the Lights Go Out is still going strong! We're at about 63% as of right now, and we could use some help getting to the finish line. Grab a copy of the new record over at  https://igg.me/at/wtlgo 

This week I got to sit down with Christian Wheeler and talk about the one and only Sir Paul McCartney! We talk about The Beatles, we talk about Wings, we talk about Linda, we talk about all of it!But we also talk about songwriting, melody, guitar work, music theater, and so much more. Christian is one of my favorite songwriters and musicians from the twin cities by a mile. Frankly, it’s annoying how good that guy is at EVERYTHING. He can play piano better than anybody. He plays guitar better than anybody. He can write McCartney-esque tunes and make it seem as effortless as breathing. Check him out at https://christianwheelermusic.com/Also, please consider donating or preordering on my Indiegogo campaign for my next album! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/when-the-lights-go-out-vinyl-release/x/38387680#/

This week we sit down with Geneviève Beaudoin, otherwise known as Dead Gowns as we talk about one of her favorite albums, Elis & Tom.We also talk about her new music, her upcoming tour, some of her other favorite albums ever, and her approach to songwriting. It's a great chat.Catch Dead Gowns on tour now! You can see tour dates, grab some vinyl, and keep up with her fantastic tunes over at https://www.deadgowns.com/Seperately, I (Nick Costa) have an album coming out on May 30th and am running an Indiegogo campaign to fund some vinyl! Please consider checking it out and tossing a few bucks towards making the dream come true over at https://igg.me/at/wtlgo

Drummer and Songwriter Remy Morritt (Lizzy McAlpine, Christian Lee Hutson) sits down to talk about the incredible catalogue of Daniel Romano. We focus a lot on the album Modern Pressure, but it's pretty tough to stick to just one album with Daniel. From his bandcamp Covid records, to his catalogue you can find on streaming services, there's a lot to tackle and dangit we did our best!Keep up with Remy over at https://remymorritt.com/

The legendary Seattle songwriter Rocky Votolato talks about his love of Jawbreaker, his new INCREDIBLE band Suzzallo, and how grief changed not only what he wrote, but also what he listens to. Suzzallo (pronounced Sue-Zuh-Low) is a new Seattle-based rock band fronted by Rocky Votolato. After the devastating loss of his child in a tragic car accident, Rocky created an entire new world inside of music that transmutes extreme grief into something healing and beautiful. The result is Suzzallo’s debut album, The Quiet Year, an explosive eulogy of fuzzed-out, ‘90s inspired alt-rock songs that are as anthemic as they are cathartic - out May 2nd.You can hear the singles "River" and "Tsunami Waves" now - and I recommend you do so as soon as possible.

The multi-gifted singer/songwriter and master luthier Wyatt Overman chats about one of the most formative bands of our generation: blink-182.We get into some nerdy details about what we love about them, our fandom, and how it helped shape us into who we are today. It was a great chat!Side note: As of tomorrow, March 7th, my single "Thunder" will be out! Please be sure to find that and give it a listen!

Twin Cities songwriter Andy Ulseth talks about the iconic Picaresque by The Decemberists. We also talk about his new tunes, and of course Weezer at some point. Also, look out NEXT FRIDAY for my new single "Thunder" from my upcoming album When the Lights Go Out" - Very excited for that!

Songwriter Alex Alston - otherwise known as Supergold - talks to us about his love for Cage The Elephant's album Melophobia.We also talk about his songwriting process, what inspires him, and I go on a bit of a tangent about Weezer. It was a great chat!Check out the new Supergold single "Bored in the USA" wherever you stream your tunes.

Philadelphia's own Drew Shuck (aka Bug Heaven) joins me to talk about the music of Kenny Vasoli, the huge artistic leap to Person L and eventually Vacationer, Pop Punk in general, our favorite Drive Thru bands, and so much more.

The Yawpers frontman Nate Cook talks about biking across the country, their new triptych of albums, and gets into why he started falling in love with R.E.M. We focus a bit on Lifes Rich Pageant, but get into so much more.

I had the absolute privilege to sit down and talk to Seattle songwriting legend Damien Jurado about the work of his friend and collaborator, the late-great Richard Swift. We talked about how they met, how they ended up collaborating, Damien's favorite stuff of Richard's, and so much more.

We Are The Willows frontman Peter Miller goes into his discovery of Bazan's music, religion, songwriting process, and we even meet his cat Yum Yum.

Tommy Rehbein, the brains behind the New Wave/Punk outfit Toilet Rats talks to us about the expansive and ever-changing music of Starflyer 59. He mentioned it was impossible to pick just one album, and when we dove in we realized why!

The former Margot & The Nuclear So & So's frontman, and current highly prolific solo artist sits down to talk about the artist Cut Worms. We dive in deep to talk about the album he considers "the only masterpiece I can think of that I didn’t make this decade." We also end up talking about P!nk (don't get him started), Weezer, The Beatles, as well as songwriting structure and his deep love of melody.

In a bit of a change in the format, Nick breaks down his 10 favorite albums from 2024 and goes in-depth about each choice.

Songwriter and author Zaq Baker takes us down the "Joel Hole" as we discuss the classic album Turnstiles, as well as the many distinct eras of Billy Joel.

We sat down with Seth Davin, the voice behind American Scarecrows, about the genius and whistle of Andrew Bird. We talk about the album My Finest Work Yet, and branch out to his whole discography to talk about his artistic evolution. It was a great chat!

The Ataris frontman talks about the lyrical brilliance of The Weakerthans, and we focus on the album Reconstruction Site. Kristopher also gives us insight on how the new Ataris tunes are coming along, and he even shares some new lyrics! We get a bit sidetracked...often and ended up just talking about the artistic process in general. It was a fun one!

Welcome to The Musician's Musician with Nick Costa! Here's what you need to know about the pod, as well as the first listen to the theme song in full!