Before Your Very Ears

You probably know Ed Helms from his unforgettable turns in The Hangover movies, The Office, and a laundry list of era-defining comedies, but what you might not know is that he shreds bluegrass music, too. (Actually, if you’ve seen The Office, you’ll know about his impressive musicianship.) Helms has played in bluegrass bands since his college days, so he knows a thing or two about writing a great American roots song. And what’s more American than getting too pissed off and ruining nice things? Helms joins Sean Watkins and Peter Harper for a writing session that centers on a paraphrased version of Abraham Maslow’s law of the instrument: “When all you’ve got is a hammer, everything’s a nail.” The trio use the phrase as a way to look at personal and societal inabilities to approach situations with “the right tool,” like nuance, patience, or grace. Instead, anger—the hammer—seems to be the only tool in our belts. That inevitably means we end up smashing stuff. Tune in to hear how this John Prine-inspired country tune takes shape—plus, don’t miss the story of Sean’s DMV blowup when he was just 16. This episode is sponsored by Berklee Online: https://online.berklee.edu/ [https://online.berklee.edu/] Join our Patreon: http://patreon.com/beforeyourveryears [https://patreon.com/beforeyourveryears]

This time on Before Your Very Ears, hosts Sean Watkins and Peter Harper give love a chance. Helping them learn the ways of love is Nick Thune, comedian and musician, who spearheads the songwriting session—but not before sharing some of the best bird-related jokes you’ll ever hear. The trio settles on a Steve Jobs-ish strategy of starting with the finished product, and working their way backwards. The end goal in this case? A love song, but a different kind of love song. The objective prompts interesting discussions: What’s a typical love song, and therefore what will make for an atypical love song? Romantic ballads are usually filled with rose-colored reflections and sweet sentiment, and this one isn’t too different, but there’s one key thing missing: a love interest. That doesn’t stop the song’s protagonist, whose hunt for love unspools over a verse that eventually slows to a speak-singing 6/8 sway, and a radio-ready power-pop chorus. If you’ve ever wondered how to write a classic love song, well… look elsewhere. But if you’re keen on figuring out how to write a memorable, distinct one, this is your episode. This episode is sponsored by Berklee Online: https://online.berklee.edu/ [https://online.berklee.edu/] Join our Patreon: http://patreon.com/beforeyourveryears [https://patreon.com/beforeyourveryears]

Ever wondered how songwriters capture scenery and stories so vivid that they seem to jump out of the song and into real life? Cary Brothers can offer some insight. In addition to releasing three full-length solo albums, the Los Angeles-based musician’s songs have been featured in dozens of film and TV productions, including Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Scrubs, One Tree Hill, Smallville, 90210, Garden State, and more. Brothers moved to Los Angeles to work in film, but eventually turned to focus on writing music. His experiences in Hollywood gave Brothers a keen visual sense in music—and a deep appreciation for how sounds and visuals can augment one another. This time out on Before Your Very Ears, Brothers joins hosts Sean Watkins and Peter Harper to talk about how to balance the desires of both our eyes and ears while arranging tunes. The end result is a deliciously striking last-call serenade. It starts with a Pogues-esque keys motif, then blossoms into a Waits-meets-Springsteen, back-of-the-bar heartbreaker. The details get filled in as the writing session goes on—the local watering hole with its broken jukebox and laissez-faire doorman—and before long, the cinematic, lonesome ballad takes shape. This episode is sponsored by Berklee Online: https://online.berklee.edu/ [https://online.berklee.edu/] Join our Patreon: http://patreon.com/beforeyourveryears [https://patreon.com/beforeyourveryears]

Mississippi-born, Los Angeles-based musician and songwriter Garrison Starr has been recording and releasing music since the early ’90s. The veteran rocker is an expert on creative expression—but also on navigating the “ballsack of an industry” that is the professional music world. That includes the alienating experience of having to engage in a narrative—whether in song or in the press—that isn’t real or true for you, maybe even one that cheapens your personhood. “How many times have I done that to myself?” Starr wonders. These are the things the commercial music industry foists upon its would-be stars. Along with Before Your Very Ears hosts Sean Watkins and Peter Harper, Starr hits on the key to writing great songs: Being honest creates more, and better, success. “The vulnerability is where the power is,” says Starr. Fueled by the experience of being outed in college, and then exiled from her evangelical community for being gay, Starr leads the trio on a songwriting expedition to examine the damage of having our stories ripped from us—and the potential of reclamation through song. This episode is sponsored by Berklee Online: https://online.berklee.edu/ [https://online.berklee.edu/] Join our Patreon: http://patreon.com/beforeyourveryears [https://patreon.com/beforeyourveryears]

If you’ve been in any bar past last call, you’ve heard Dan Wilson’s work. “Closing Time” launched his band Semisonic into the international pop-culture stratosphere in 1998, and since then, he’s become an A-list cowriter with some of music’s biggest names—including, perhaps, the biggest: Taylor Swift. The 62-year-old Minnesota native cowrote the Chicks’ Grammy-winning anthem “Not Ready to Make Nice,” Adele’s tear-jerker “Someone Like You,” and Chris Stapleton’s “White Horse,” which took home the 2024 Grammy for best country song. Wilson insists that he rebels against any “role” foisted upon him in the studio—he’s less “writer’s block killer” and more “creative therapist,” digging for truth and emotion. Wilson’s creative craft has brought us some of this century’s most ubiquitous and popular songs, and on this episode of Before Your Very Ears, he applies it with hosts Sean Watkins and Peter Harper to write an alt-country tune in G major. The central idea? You’re not your feelings, and sometimes it’s only through the grace of those closest to us that we can pare down an overreaction: “It’s a long-term solution to a short-term problem/When you’re looking for answers, that’s when everybody’s got one,” the main hook calls. This episode is sponsored by Berklee Online: https://online.berklee.edu/ [https://online.berklee.edu/] Join our Patreon: http://patreon.com/beforeyourveryears [https://patreon.com/beforeyourveryears]