SONG DIVING with Hiss Golden Messenger

SONG DIVING with Niko Moon

We get into the stories behind songs he’s written, including “Good Time,” “American Dreamin’,” and Zac Brown Band’s “Homegrown.” Along the way, we explore the music and voices that shaped how Niko hears and writes songs, from John Prine and Travis Tritt to Outkast and Alan Jackson. And we talk about why positive music became his mission, the dive bar show that changed his life when Zac Brown walked in, why the hardest part of writing a song is finding the first great idea, and how one song can find someone at exactly the moment they need it. It’s a conversation about choosing optimism, finding the idea that unlocks a song, and why music can become the encouragement we carry with us through life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

SONG DIVING with Lori McKenna

We get into the stories behind songs like “Humble and Kind,” “People Get Old,” and “All the Time I’ve Wasted on You.” And we talk about how her limitations became her style, why some of the best lines in a song begin with an alley-oop from another writer, and why the songs that make everyone else want to quit are the ones that excite her most. Along the way, we explore the music and voices that shaped how Lori hears and writes songs, from James Taylor and Suzanne Vega to Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, and the songwriters she discovered through Boston’s college radio stations. It’s a conversation about keeping it simple, writing the song only you can write, and the songs we’ll spend the rest of our lives reaching for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

SONG DIVING with Shinedown

We get into the stories behind songs like “Second Chance,” “In Memory,” “Fly from the Inside,” and new songs like “Young Again” and “Searchlight.” And talk about the years-long journey that led to Shinedown, writing hundreds of songs before finally breaking through, and the determination it took to keep going. Along the way, we explore the music and voices that shaped how Brent hears and writes songs, from The Ramones and Soundgarden to Jim Croce and Otis Redding. It’s a conversation about finding your voice, trusting your instincts, and chasing what’s out there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

SONG DIVING with Jason Mraz

We dive in with Jason Mraz to talk about songs like “I’m Yours,” “I Won’t Give Up,” “Lucky,” and “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” and we get into songwriting as meditation, creative prompts as a doorway into inspiration, and the joy and doubt that can come with a song that suddenly arrives all at once. We also geek out on the music and voices that shaped the way he hears and writes songs, from Michael Jackson and Ani DiFranco to Willie Nelson and the humor and warmth of Hee Haw playing at his grandmother’s house. Along the way we talk about how songwriting began as a “parlor trick” for his friends, how he almost didn’t believe in “I’m Yours,” and why now is the right time to share the gospel album he originally recorded as a Christmas gift for his grandmother. It’s a conversation about the songs that heal us, the songs that surprise us, and what can happen when you let yourself become an instrument for inspiration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

SONG DIVING with Taj Mahal

We dive in with Taj Mahal to talk about songs like “Queen Bee,” “Loving in My Baby’s Eyes,” and “Mailbox Blues,” and how they grow out of the lineage of African and American music. Along the way, we explore the artists who shaped how he hears and writes, from Ray Charles to Jimmy Reed to Etta James to Mississippi John Hurt. We talk about finding your own voice, trusting instinct, and why tempo can shape everything. And we talk about his new album Time, including his take on an unreleased Bill Withers song, Bob Marley’s “Talking Blues,” and how “Sweet Lorene” gives a nod to Otis Redding. It’s a conversation about roots and feel. In Taj Mahal’s words, “Do you feel it or do you not feel it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]