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James Arquette joins off to talk about writing The Times and finding his way through folk, blues, Dylan, Cash, Bowie, aliens, robots and the machinery of modern life. Listen on Spotify and other online destinations !

Lacy Sterling fronts Detroit 442 and Motor City Blues Destroyers, has been playing punk music since the seventies, and looks at the world and sees reason to hope. Fitting for someone who views planning European tours like a giant puzzle. We has a lot of fun talking to Lacy about getting into punk music, the DIY ethos that took him to Istanbul and beyond, his disdain for the nineties, and how the music community of today inspires him to optimism. Detroit 442 Website Detroit 442 Bandcamp Minneapolis on Bandcamp

Maxwell Rincon joins the crew on the Ghost Light stage to talk about picking up music during the pandemic and hitting like nothing but green lights since.

Boy Blue (or is that JW Howard?) joins Brion and Chris to discuss the downhill journey of learning guitar. The episode meanders through ghost lights, dog Ozempic, and why the Detroit music scene provided the necessary reconciliation after a wild stint in Grand Rapids. John performs two soulful originals and explains why you’ll likely never find his best work on Spotify, at least not until Spotifyhead.com takes off. Scott analyzed the metadata during the haunting. The ghost was indeed the original JW Howard. He has moved on to haunting someone's substack account.

Caleb Sanchez joins the Dispatch on the Ghost Light stage to trace his artistic evolution from the raw, confessional songwriting of Stoop Sesh to the high-energy, dance-driven blues of his current project, Sancho. He opens up about how a divorce, leaving the church, and a soul-crushing stint in corporate sales led him to discover Lightning Hopkins and a desire to create a "booty-shaking" vibe on stage. Listen to Caleb here

Scott is back from abroad so Brion decided to record a podcast talking to the OG Dispatch hosts, Dave and Scott. Dave shares plans for new music and a much anticipated show in Windsor. Brion shares the virtues of rambling on. Chris is happy to fanboy. Scott confirms his new life mission: to get the audience to admit their secret grudges against him. Email him at [email protected]

Francis DeCarlo joins the Dispatch to talk about his wide-ranging approach to music, from triple albums and virtual string quartets to Detroit gigs and his time at Philip Glass’s studio. He shares how songs often arrive like transmissions, found in accidents, mistakes, and moments of openness. Along the way he reflects on Detroit’s deep musical lineage, the challenge of keeping bands together, and why the city’s collaborative spirit makes it such fertile ground for creation. Francis also performs his longtime favorite “Esmeralda,” offering a glimpse into his belief that the best songs feel less written than received.

Edison Hollow’s frontman Tyler Chernoff joins us to talk heartbreak, hope, and hard rock. From open mic revelations to five-year-old superfans, Tyler shares how writing, recovery, and community helped shape his most personal song yet. Plus, he plays us an exclusive live version of “Darkness”—a breakup anthem with a time shift and a shimmer of light.

Brion and Chris sit down with Izak for a deeply personal and often hilarious conversation about songwriting, community, chronic pain, pandemic chaos, and why it's okay to skank to a sad song.

In this episode, we lock into the weird and wonderful world of SG Bleviano—punk-hearted, bath-singing, art-slinging Detroit songwriter on a mission to drop 12 singles in 12 months. We talk beautiful garbage, DIY recording hacks, cartoon ghosts with Gretschs, and a guitar named Dolly that carries a heavy heart.

Jeff Jablonski joins the Dispatch to talk rhythm, regret, and 90 unreleased songs. We explore his roots, his writing philosophy, and why he’s more interested in live performance than recording. Along the way, he shares stories of lost compasses, poetic graffiti, and the quiet power of musical restraint. Features an exclusive deep cut: Tula.

For those who read episode descriptions… It doesn't seem we are losing Mike. Instead, he joins us to talk about his journey as a songwriter, his time with Candlebox, his solo work, and his approach to art in all forms—music, painting, even tattooing. He shares stories from the road, performs live, and gives us a glimpse into his upcoming album, Goodbye Forever: An Introduction. Plus, we dive into songwriting philosophy, the importance of just doing the work, and how creativity keeps us going.

Brion Riborn is joined by none other than Chris Rose to interview Checker

This week on the Detroit Songwriter Dispatch, Chris Bathgate joins the podcast to discuss his new album, Significance of Peaches . Bathgate talks about the inspiration for the album , the unique pump organ that he uses in his music , and the (then) upcoming show at Alpino in Detroit , where he will be performing with special peach-themed dishes prepared by the restaurant's chef. Bathgate also talks about the importance of taking risks in music , his songwriting process , and the role of mistakes in creativity . Plus, hear about: Bathgate's upcoming show at the New Dodge Lounge with Jack M and Oolie. How Bathgate's music ended up on Netflix. Stevie Nicks's amazing backstage performance of "Wild Heart."

This summer 2024, Brion and Scott sat down with Brizzl before he left Detroit to talk about his experience coming up in Detroit music. Brizzl's links: Instagram Soundcloud Spotify