Meet Our Makers

113. Joan as Police Woman - We're Real Life

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.

112. The Fiery Furnaces - Aren't You Curious?

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.

111. aja monet - I Wish I Could Just Write Love Poems

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.

110. Rostam - Making Myself Whole

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.

109. Gay Meat - All About My Mother

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.