Lytt til This Next Song‘s About - A Songwriter‘s Podcast

If you don't know Gretchen Peters, I will bet you definitely know some of her songs. From Independence Day (Martina McBride), Cloud #9 (Bryan Adams), On A Bus To St. Cloud (Trisha Yearwood), Rock Steady (Bonnie Raitt)... the list goes on and on. So when I interviewed her for the first time (I was lucky enough to do it twice) I was READY. This is probably the interview I am the most proud of, we talked about sexism within the music industry, being an independent artist and finding your own path as a writer. We dig into the origins of one of her songs, "The Boy From Rye" and how it's the heart of her most recent album, Dancing With The Beast. Note: This interview was originally recorded and published in November 2019. ----more---- For two decades, Gretchen Peters (she/her) has been one of Nashville's most beloved and respected artists. "If Peters never delivers another tune as achingly beautiful as 'On A Bus To St. Cloud,'" People Magazine wrote, "she has already earned herself a spot among country's upper echelon of contemporary composers.” Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in October 2014 by singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, who called her "both a songwriter and a poet (who) sings as beautifully as she writes,” and said her song “The Matador”, "moved me so greatly, I cried from the soles of my feet”, Peters has accumulated accolades as a songwriter for artists as diverse as Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, The Neville Brothers, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Bryan Adams and Faith Hill. Her 2015 album, ‘Blackbirds’, debuted at #1 on the UK Country chart and in the top 40 UK pop chart, and was awarded International Album of the Year and Song of the Year. In 2015, The Telegraph named her one of the greatest 60 female singer-songwriters of all time. Her latest album, Dancing With The Beast, was released on May 18, 2018. https://gretchenpeters.com [https://gretchenpeters.com]

As we continue the final season of the podcast, Stevie revisits a discussion with artist Esabalu aka Jenn Mundia (she/her) from Season 2. This episode really resonated with Stevie as they both shared a story about their dads about their respective name changes. This episode was recorded during the pandemic and originally aired in March 2021. Esabalu talks about her journey to finding her new moniker as EsaBalu, embracing her Kenyan roots and taking time as a musician to process the events of the Black Lives Matter movement through storytelling and songwriting with her single “Say Their Names”. They discuss the recording of Esabalu's song and music video Wildfire. You should check out the video for Wildfire here and come back to listen to the episode: https://youtu.be/9dnjUCdM21E [https://youtu.be/9dnjUCdM21E] You can also watch the full unedited interview in the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tsnainnercircle [https://www.facebook.com/groups/tsnainnercircle] We also talk about her journey to finding her new moniker as EsaBalu, embracing her Kenyan roots and taking time as a musician to process the events of the Black Lives Matter movement through storytelling and songwriting with her single “Say Their Names”. Jenn Mundia is an LA based artist with Kenyan roots and a southern upbringing, currently performing under the pseudonym, "Esabalu". As a graduate of Berklee College of Music, Jenn found herself working on the production and engineering side of the business right out of school but found her way back to stages throughout New York (Saturday Night Live w/ Kacey Musgraves, Jimmy Fallon w/ Bastille and Wallows, and Seth Meyers) and is now taking on the West coast. Jenn is currently breaking major ground in the ad and voice over world in the time of Covid and recently released her debut EP, “Moon”—find it wherever you listen to music. Check out http://esabalu.com [http://esabalu.com] for more updates! Insta:http://instagram.com/esabalumusic [http://instagram.com/esabalumusic] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KvgJF4TQQ3T4ZRBbdLoDg [https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KvgJF4TQQ3T4ZRBbdLoDg]

In the premier episode of the final season of award nominated podcast This Next Song's About, Stevie throws it back to one of their favourite episodes as we take a trip down memory lane with Akie Bermiss, best known for his work as the keys player for the band Lake Street Dive. This episode was originally episode #3 of the podcasts 4 years history originally published October 4th 2018 and marks the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Stevie and Akie and remains a fan favourite episode to this date. Akie (he/him) discusses his song "Space and Time", his sometime-to-be-released science fiction soul opera double album, his children's book, and what it's like being an artist in New York City. ----more---- Akie's Bio: Akie Bermiss with his affable disposition, glasses, and healthy do of cascading dreads that drape down to his shoulders, is unabashedly a self-professed nerd to the nth degree. Since early childhood Akie has been an obsessed science fiction aficionado. Yet he does have an artist-friendly façade and has managed to cultivate and live a double-life as a thriving music protégé, pianist, singer/songwriter, composer, arranger and emerging solo artist and member of Lake Street Dive. Akie is a Brooklyn native raised in a musical household full of jazz and politics fueled by his former- activist mom and dad. He began singing in church, moved it to school for a while, enroute becoming somewhat of a musical chameleon. www.akiebermissmusic.com [http://www.akiebermissmusic.com]

Have you ever considered reinventing your artist self as a persona? Are you nervous that your fan base won't get it or won't follow your new journey? Joey Dean has thrown caution to the wind in order to do justice to his vision for his latest project, King Vagabond... In this episode, Stevie changes the format of the regular Q&A episode and instead walks you through the story of Joey Dean in his journey to become his new artist persona, as one half of alt-pop duo King Vagabond. Joey Dean (he/him) is a NY-based singer-songwriter and frontman of alternative pop duo King Vagabond. Joey has spent the last eight years recording and touring with performance experience aside pop industry giants such as Shawn Mendes, Meghan Trainor, Charli XCX, Todrick Hall, and more. As well as on nation-wide tours and festivals like Vans Warped Tour. His YouTube covers have amassed hundreds of thousands of views, including collaborations with his life partner and fellow independent artist Corvyx. When not in front of the camera or microphone, Joey dedicates his time coaching musicians, teaching them how to pursue their dreams with authenticity and true personal alignment. “Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.”Fantasy horror writer Neil Gaiman perfectly captures the inspirational vantage point of King Vagabond, the supernatural avatar housing the consciousness of frontman, vocalist Joey Dean and guitarist, producer Niko Vaude. For Joey and Niko, fiction depicts not only King Vagabond’s lyrics and visuals, teeming with literary allusions, but also the fantastical lens through which they craft a cutting-edge cocktail of sound, mixing alternative grit with ambient synths and contemporary pop hooks with innovative electronics. King Vagabond’s alt pop soundscape skillfully balances the friction of opposing forces. Even in lyrics the past meets the present as King Vagabond filters the perspective of a contemporary world through literary, mythological, and folklorish allusion. King Vagabond dips their brush in the darker side of pop and the brighter side of electronic, inspiring listeners to dance in ecstasy or scream in triumph. BONUS: At the end of the episode you can hear King Vagabond's first singleRule The World Follow King Vagabond @kingvagabond If you want to hear this full conversation unedited you can sign up for our Patreon where you will also get tip sheets from all the episodes, watch the unedited videos, have a monthly check zoom hang with other creatives and much more. Go tohttp://Patreon.com/thisnextsongsabout [http://patreon.com/thisnextsongsabout]for as little as $3 a month. Check out this episode from LA based songwriter Esabalu on her decision to change her moniker: https://thisnextonesabout.podbean.com/e/embracing-my-new-artist-pseudonym-ft-esbalu/ [https://thisnextonesabout.podbean.com/e/embracing-my-new-artist-pseudonym-ft-esbalu/] I'd love to hear any feedback or any suggestions you have for episodes! Email:info@thisnextsongsabout.com [info@thisnextsongsabout.com] ----more---- Transcripts available at http://thisnextsongsabout.com [http://thisnextsongsabout.com]Don't forget to check out some great home-recording microphones on offer from Shure here:Shure MV7 podcast and vocal mic [http://shure.pxf.io/c/3091373/879980/12212?prod=aonic50&source=facebook&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shure.com%2Fen-US%2Fproducts%2Fmicrophones%2Fmv7]Shure SM58 [https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/sm58?irclickid=z8pSg-zz7xyITNE31Yx-3WjQUkG2kLRfNz8GyA0&utm_campaign=12212&sfid=usaffiliat&ptnr=3091373&vdr=impact&irgwc=1]- most durable stage & recording mic ever created!

Who doesn't struggle with writer's block? Or changing your writing habits or chord structure? Experience 'second verse hell'?? Susan Cattaneo (she/her) has 20 years as an educator teaching at Berklee College of Music so knows a thing or two about how to break the blocks. She's also an award-winning songwriter in her own right and is here to talk about all things songwriting, writer's block and being a full-time musician as a woman in her 50s. With her powerful voice, captivating melodies and finely-crafted lyrics, Susan Cattaneo is one of Boston’s most respected singer/songwriters. A compelling performer and vivid storyteller, Susan’s music blends folk, rock and blues with hint of country. Following up on the success of her chart-topping double album. The Hammer & The Heart, Susan Cattaneo is releasing All is Quiet in April of 2022. Critics, audiences, and fellow artists have instantly connected with the personal nature of Susan’s songs. Susan is a three-time Kerrville New Folk Finalist and a three-time nominee for Best Americana Artist at the Boston Music Awards, and she won the 2018 CT folk Festival. Her last album The Hammer and The Heart charted #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and yielded a #1 song on folk radio and a top 10 album of 2017. She is also one half of the indie folk duo called Honest Mechanik with Paul Hansen of The Grownup Noise. The duo launched their first album in July of 2020 and were nominated as Folk Act of The Year at the 2021 Boston Music Awards. “Cattaneo’s solo songs have roots that run deep under the earth from Memphis to Nashville to Appalachia (pick a random song from her catalog and odds are it would be an ideal cover for Bonnie Raitt or Carrie Underwood or Steve Earle). ” – Jed Gottlieb, The Boston Herald BONUS: At the end of the episode you can hear Susan's new song Blackbirds from her upcoming album All Is Quiet Check out Susan's site and tour dates here: https://susancattaneo.com [https://susancattaneo.com] Follow her on insta: https://instagram.com/susancmusic [https://instagram.com/susancmusic] ----more---- You can support our Patreon for BTS and early access to episodes, tip sheets and community here: http://patreon.com/thisnextsongsabout [http://patreon.com/thisnextsongsabout]Transcripts available at http://thisnextsongsabout.com [http://thisnextsongsabout.com]Don't forget to check out some great home-recording microphones on offer from Shure here:Shure MV7 podcast and vocal mic [http://shure.pxf.io/c/3091373/879980/12212?prod=aonic50&source=facebook&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shure.com%2Fen-US%2Fproducts%2Fmicrophones%2Fmv7] Shure SM58 [https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/sm58?irclickid=z8pSg-zz7xyITNE31Yx-3WjQUkG2kLRfNz8GyA0&utm_campaign=12212&sfid=usaffiliat&ptnr=3091373&vdr=impact&irgwc=1]- most durable stage & recording mic ever created! ----more----