Meet Our Makers

106. Animal Collective - Twenty Years of Feels

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.

105. Edith Frost - Back in the Lope

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.

104. Azazel Jacobs - The Magic

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.

103. The Mynabirds - Silence Broken

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.

102. Austra - A Particular Grief

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.