Meet Our Makers

98. Casey Dienel - Casey Talk

In this chat, we get to meet Casey Dienel. Formerly known as White Hinterland, Dienel is back with a brand new record under their own name, called My Heart is an Outlaw, which is out now. It follows an 8-year absence from the music industry - a hiatus that Dienel wasn't initially sure they ever really wanted to end. But the songs came, and the rest is history. Here, we talk at length about the new record - the writing, production, themes, etc. - as well as what led to them breaking from and returning to making music, and how that looks different for them now than it did before. We also touch on life, art, mental health, pop music, food, and more. A circuitous talk in the best way possible. Thanks for listening.

WE MEET AGAIN IV: Madi Diaz

In the latest installment of my re-interview subseries, We Meet Again, we get to chat for a second time with luminous, talented, and hilarious Madi Diaz. Madi just put out a brand new LP called Fatal Optimist, and we definitely deep into it in this chat. We talk about what led to this record being so spare and stripped back, the magic of demos, the effect of space on sound, and more. We also get into her "heartbreak trilogy," her experience earning two Grammy nominations for her last record Weird Faith, and her utter relentlessness - as an artist, as a writer, and as a curious human. I always have immense fun talking with Madi, and this talk is a blast. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for listening.

97. Jens Lekman - Emotional Autobiography

In this chat, we get to meet singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Jens Lekman. Jens has just put out a new record, entitled Songs for Other People's Weddings, and it comes alongside a novel of the same name by David Levithan. The two collab'd on this very narrative project, telling a story about a wedding singer named J. who has a slightly tumultuous love story with a woman named V. Both are out now, and in this conversation, Jens and I dig deep on the lore of the album, the backstory, the narrative junctures, and what it was like for him to craft a "story album" (something he is a self-proclaimed non-fan on). We talk humor in songs, fact vs. fiction (and which is the better truth-teller), as well as his real life side gig as a wedding singer for hire. Thanks for listening.

WE MEET AGAIN III: Nina Nastasia

Time for another edition of We Meet Again, the subseries of Meet Our Makers where I re-interview folks from the show's past, this time with niceties and introductions out of the way, clearing the room for more intimate and casual conversation. This time we have Nina Nastasia back on, who I had on last time alongside Jeff MacLeod to talk about their band Jolie Laide's debut LP. Now the band is back with their sophomore album, Creatures, which is out now, but this time I have Nina solo. We chat about the new album, how it's been growing the band (they've since added two new members), as well as how her songwriting and relationship to music-making has changed over time. We also talk about her new solo release, Songs for a World of Trouble, which at the time of this recording hadn't even been announced yet, but is now out - and only on her Bandcamp. We talk about a lot more, too - guitar, Steve Albini, Spotify - and it was so lovely to have her back. Thanks for listening.

96. The Swell Season - Earth and Water

In this episode, we get to meet The Swell Season. Comprised of singers, songwriters, musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, you may know them best as the leads of the John Carney film Once, back from 2007, which won an Oscar for its immortal "Falling Slowly". And while we do touch upon the film in this conversation - including its legacy, the shocks of that time, and why they don't get tired of speaking about it, even nearly 20 years on - we focus first and foremost on their brand new album, Forward, which is out now. We talk about the production, songwriting, and performance of the album, the dynamics of it, but also what led to them reconnecting after so many years away from being in the studio as a duo. It's a lovely chat, with a talented pair of people I've been watching since 2007, so I was happy to connect. Thank you for listening.