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In this episode, we get to meet Jake Xerxes Fussell. Jake is a folk singer in a true sense: his catalog of albums consists of his interpretations - some faithful, some radical - of classic folk music. He takes songs from various canons, myriad strains of folk touchstones, but focuses most often on the American Southeast, where he was born and where he came to love traditional folk music. In this chat, Jake and I talk a lot about his brand new album, The Old Beloved Path, including what leads him to select the songs he does, how he chooses to go about tackling them, and how themes arise without him even noticing. We also talk about folk music at large, the metaphysical act of listening to and creating it, the greats that inspire him, and more. Thanks for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Peter Moren and Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn & John. Unfortunately, John could not join us for this conversation, but we soldiered on! The trio's 2006 album Writer's Block turns 20 years old this year - in fact, its 20th birthday is the very day of this episode's publication! And so in this talk, Peter and Bjorn and I dive into the album that made them an international indie pop sensation. Yes, we get into their ubiquitous smash "Young Folks" (co-starring the great Victoria Bergsman), but we also talk about so much else related to this record. Its history, its conception, its style; how the collaborative nature of the process changed the band; how they relate to these songs (and its biggest hit) years later - because as you may know they've been doing 20th anniversary live shows, playing the record in full! It was great to talk with them about a record that was so important to my early adolescence (and many people's adolescences). Thanks for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Joan as Police Woman, the musical project of singer, songwriter, violinist, composer Joan Wasser. Joan came up in the New York music scene of the 90s, but it wasn't until 2006 when she put out her debut solo LP as Joan as Police Woman, Real Life. Well now, exactly 20 years later (to the day!) Joan as put out Real Life Evolution, a total wall-to-wall reimagining and rerecording of that debut record. The sequence is different, the vibes are different, some songs are radically changed, and it's such a fun ride for those of us who have come to love that first record. Joan and I talk at length about this new recording, including what compelled her to go this route and how some of the new renditions came about, as well as the original '06 version and its arrival in her life. We touch on live performance, ANOHNI, Iggy Pop, improv, the love of music, and more. Thanks for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet The Fiery Furnaces. The band first rose to prominence in the 2000s, but after a sort of garage-y debut album, they released a slew of highly experimental, avant-garde, quirky abstract pop and rock epics, putting out numerous records in a short time span. Then they stopped. And while they both have had robust solo careers, the duo - made of brother and sister Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger - have never made another FF record. And while they did give me at least some hope for another one down the line, this conversation focuses mostly on two of their most acclaimed and beloved LPs: Blueberry Boat and Bitter Tea, which celebrates its 20th birthday this year. We talk all about these two records, as well as what was going on before and around them, and also touch on live shows, songwriting, alter egos, and more. It's a good chat with two people whose work I've been a dear fan of for many, many years. Thank you for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet aja monet. aja is a poet and songwriter and composer, who has just released her 2nd album of jazzy, inviting, varied, potent spoken word music, entitled the color of rain. And in this conversation, she and I talk a lot about this record. We get into what led to its inception, what some of the songs touch on specifically, as well as the musicality inherent in poetry itself. We talk about the people who worked with her on this record, what inspires her, and more. We also touch on poetry as an art form, and reading and writing moreover, which was especially intriguing for me as an English educator myself. It's a wide-ranging, warm, intellectual conversation that I'm so happy I got to have, with such a poetic force as aja. Thank you for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Rostam. The singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer has a brand new record out now, called American Stories. While you may know him best from his tenure in Vampire Weekend (he formally departed after the first three records, though he co-wrote, performed on, and produced those albums, and continues to work sporadically with the group), Rostam has built a strong solo ouevre at this point. In this talk, he and I talk a lot about the new LP, including lyrical inspiration, musical inspiration, mixing America musical themes and touchstones with Persian ones, and more. It's a good chat with a special artist. Thank you for listening.

In this episode, we get to meet Gay Meat - aka Karl Kuehn. In this conversation, Karl and I dig right in to his brand new debut full-length solo LP, Blue Water. The album was written all about his mother - both the deep relationship he had with her, and her passing a couple years ago after a prolonged health battle. Karl was super candid, and was ready to talk all about his mother. In her health journey, Karl eventually became her caretaker, which brought him back home for a number of years, dealing with hospital care, paper work; it was a lot, but he showed up out of the profound love he has for her. The songs are sometimes a bit downcast, but also sometimes quite fun and bright, and Karl hasn't lost his sense of joy or humor in the process. While this talk does touch on many very serious and heavy topics, I think it's a rather funny and light conversation ultimately, owing to Karl's humor and candor. Thanks for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Peaches, the iconic electronic/electro-clash/pop singer, songwriter, and producer. After a lengthy absence, Peaches is back with a new LP, No Lube So Rude, and if you know Peaches' work, then you know what to expect: lots of crude humor mixed in with serious commentary on sex and sexuality, politics, human rights, and being a woman or even really just being a human in this absurd time. It's at times funny, abrasive, and cutting, in a way really only Peaches can pull off. She's never been anyone but herself, and it shows. We talk a lot about this new record, including what led to her return to album-making, and what artistic pursuits she was up to since her last record. We talk inspiration, the state of the world, being a woman in her 50s, and trying to hold a mirror up to the calamity and ridiculousness around us. Thanks for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Asher White. Asher is a singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and lots of other things, and has just put out a special new project: a full-album cover of Jessica Pratt's self-titled debut record. It's an odd choice, perhaps, but it pays off in a really lovely and intriguing rendition of a great modern folk album. In this conversation, Asher and I do get deep into the Jessica Pratt of it all, talking about what pulled her to this album and this project, what continues to pull her - and me (and many of us!) - into Jessica's song world. We also talk about songwriting, recording, the life of being a DIY musician, and much much more. Asher is a very personable and conversational person, and this is a very free-flowing and joyous talk. What a nice way to start 2026! Thanks for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet 3/4 of the experimental rock band Animal Collective. The band just reissued its seminal album Feels for its 20th anniversary this fall, and so I was delighted to have Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Deakin (Josh Dibb), and Geologist (Brian Weitz) join me for a deep dive into the album. (If you want to hear me chat with Avey Tare/Dave Portner, by the way, you can go listen to episode 53 by the way!) We cover many of its beloved songs, the production process, and that specific feelings around the record both as a piece of work and also as an experience at that specific point in their careers. I was so excited to get to dig into that era of the band, and pick their brains about what is still likely my favorite album of theirs. We talk about letting others in on the process, discuss how they choose live sets, do some myth-busting, and more. Thanks for listening.

Ok, catch up part two. Now, in this episode, we get to meet singer-songwriter Edith Frost. Edith released her first record in about twenty years this past winter, called In Space, and in late spring I got the chance to chat with the underground folk icon all about the album, her road back to making music, studying jazz chords, and more. We talked about her infamous Twitter ban, the delights of Drag City (her longtime record label), and beyond. It was such a lovely and bubbly chat with a buoyant and personable figure, someone whose music has been with me probably since that 2005 record came out, so it was great to be able to link up for an hour. I regret that it took so long to share, but, especially as I am a totally one-man show, occasionally that's just how it all works out. And I'm thrilled to get to share it with you now. Thanks for listening.

Time to play some catch up! In this episode, we get to meet award-winning filmmaker of His Three Daughters, Azazel Jacobs. Full disclosure: this chat (and the one that will constitute my next episode too..shh!!) was actually recorded back in the spring, but life things and other deadlines kept pushing it, and now here I am embarrassingly in early winter only publishing it now. But, as it happens, I was already playing catch up with Azazel, who had released the magnificent His Three Daughters - starring Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne - about the year prior, which had come off a nice run of awards notice, including the prestigious Robert Altman award at the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards. So it was great fun to look back on his eventful year, which felt like a bit of a breakthrough into a new echelon of visibility and acclaim for him. We talk a lot about that film, including what it was like to work with this cast, and with such a deeply heartfelt and personal story. We talk about his early foundational films he found as he was discovering his voice, his love of cinema, and how he comes at the art of moviemaking. It was a great chat, and even though it's coming out a bit late, I think you'll still find a lot to love about this deep talk with a talented filmmaker. Thanks for listening.

In this episode, we get to meet Laura Burhenn - aka The Mynabirds. Laura has just released her first album as the Mynabirds in about eight years, and it consists of several piano re-recordings of older tracks, alongside some brand new ones (which came as a bit of a surprise to Laura, who up to then hadn't written a new song in six years). In this chat, Laura and I dive deep into this new LP, including how she came to the decision to make this particular kind of record, as well as how she chose which songs to rebuild. But even more importantly, we talk about her rediscovery of how much she likes to sing and make music, thereby ending her many-years-long musical silence and refinding her voice. We talk about the goingson on of the world, too, and how one might carry the weight of that in these trying times. And much more, too. Laura was very candid and generous, and so sharp and passionate about these topics, it was a delight to have her. Thanks for listening.

In this episode we get to meet Austra, which is the music project of singer/songwriter/producer Katie Stelmanis. In this chat, we talk about Katie's newest Austra record, Chin Up Buttercup, which came into formation in the wake of a sudden and devastating breakup - one so tough she said she essentially had to grieve. We talk about what it meant to her to be crafting these super-personal songs (maybe the most personal she's ever written) and then shoot them through the lens of electronic, pop, and dance music, especially Eurodance, which was a specific touchstone for her here. We talk about what it even means to grieve a heartbreak, and how there's no right way through it. It was great getting to chat with an artist I've been following since her debut (2011's great Feel it Break), and I was very grateful. Thanks for listening.

On this episode, we get to meet Julian Brave NoiseCat. Julian is a filmmaker, documentarian, and writer, who just put out his first book, called We Survived the Night. Part memoir, part cultural ethnography, the book traces through Julian's own story - including the stories of his parents and family - and weaves in elements of Indigenous stories and mythologies of the communities he is a part of: the Canim Lake Band Tsq'secen of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) in British Columbia. Last year, Julian also received an Oscar nomination for his first documentary film, Sugarcane, which he co-directed with Emily Kassie, which made him the first North American Indigenous filmmaker to be nominated at the Academy Awards. The film studies the impact of the Canadian Indian Residential School System, and the lingering effects and ongoing trauma of the experiences children had there - including some members of his own family. It's a serious conversation, and a very serious topic - but a vital one. I was very grateful to Julian for taking the time to have a deep conversation about this deep subject. Thanks for listening.