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.

On this episode, we get to meet Julian Brave NoiseCat. Julian is a filmmaker, documentarian, and writer, who just put out his first book, called We Survived the Night. Part memoir, part cultural ethnography, the book traces through Julian's own story - including the stories of his parents and family - and weaves in elements of Indigenous stories and mythologies of the communities he is a part of: the Canim Lake Band Tsq'secen of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) in British Columbia. Last year, Julian also received an Oscar nomination for his first documentary film, Sugarcane, which he co-directed with Emily Kassie, which made him the first North American Indigenous filmmaker to be nominated at the Academy Awards. The film studies the impact of the Canadian Indian Residential School System, and the lingering effects and ongoing trauma of the experiences children had there - including some members of his own family. It's a serious conversation, and a very serious topic - but a vital one. I was very grateful to Julian for taking the time to have a deep conversation about this deep subject. Thanks for listening.

Episode 100!! Who knew this would ever happen? I didn't! To commemorate this grand occasion, what better than to sit down with one of the musicians I've listened to and looked up to the longest: Imogen Heap. Imogen was having a very busy October when we sat down to chat, and in this conversation, we discuss all the goingson. This includes the latest in her triptych of singles called "Aftercare", as well as the 13-minute cut that combines all three of those songs (additionally: "Noise" and "What Have You Done to Me") into one song called "I AM _". We talk a lot about what led to these songs, especially "Noise" and "Aftercare", which comes with a wild and winding story that's basically a film unto itself, and the major, awakening experiences that Imogen went through in recent years that led her to that version of herself she is now. We also touch on her second solo LP, Speak for Yourself, which released a 20th anniersary reissue in October. We discuss that time in her life, that turning point, what the album means to her, and more. We of course touch on her use of AI, which has led to some criticism in recent times, but she does her best to explain the ins and outs of what she does and doesn't do with it, and what's good and bad about it (in her view). We talk about a lot more, including why she may never release and proper album again, and I was so incredibly thrilled to have this person who's been a longtime fixture in my life (shoutout to the Frou Frou heads!) join me for this momentous occasion. So thank you for listening (ever - not just to this episode!) and I hope you enjoy. 

In this chat, we get to meet Avery Tucker. Avery is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who is probably up to know best known as one half of the indie rock band Girlpool. That band, however, is now on indefinite hiatus (no animosity there - don't sweat!), but it has freed up Avery to release his first full-length album, Paw. Out now, his debut is full of vulnerable songwriting and performances that are often stripped pretty bare. We talk a lot about this new album, including the production, the lyrical themes, the nakedness of it, and what led him to this point in his career. We also touch on solitude, living in the moment, and the greatness that is Gillian Welch's Time (The Revelator). It's a chill and laid back talk, and I think you'll enjoy it. Thanks for listening.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In this episode, we get to meet singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist Patrick Wolf. Patrick is back after a 14-year album absence with a brand new collection called Crying The Neck (an archaic phrase we get into the symbolism of), which is out now. In this chat, Patrick and I talk a lot about the new album - its themes of loss, mourning, celebration - and why this album means so much to him, not only because it was inspired largely by the loss of his mother, but because it exists. This album follows on the heels of that absence, and he feels so excited to be back, happy, and healthy. We touch on those years spent in between, what was going on, and how and why he found himself leaving that time and entering this new era. He's stoked to get onto the next project, and that fire is palpable. I was honored to chat with him. Thank you for listening.