

The Other 22 Hours
Michaela Anne, Aaron Shafer-Haiss
An exploration of the creative life, lived in the in-between.A sanctuary for the creative spirit in a results-obsessed world.Moving beyond the highlight reel, hosts and working musicians Aaron Shafer-Haiss and Michaela Anne facilitate intimate, artist-to-artist conversations with renowned musicians, authors, visual artists and actors about the grit required to sustain a life in the arts. From navigating doubt to finding stillness, this is the reality of the work. Unfiltered.
Episodes
Mentioned books

5 snips
Sep 24, 2025 • 55min
Dave Hause on blue collar, anticipation, and minor tweaks.
Dave Hause, a Philadelphia-born punk singer-songwriter and co-founder of Blood Harmony Records, shares insights from his 30-year career. He talks about the blue-collar mentality behind creativity and the importance of discipline in sustaining a creative lifestyle. Dave reflects on balancing family life with touring, tackling the anxiety induced by modern information overload, and the value of anticipation in creative projects. He also discusses how minor lifestyle changes and sobriety have positively impacted his artistry, encouraging emerging musicians to hustle and stay true to their vision.

Sep 17, 2025 • 46min
Hayes Carll on journaling, divesting from outcomes, and self solidity.
Hayes Carll is a Grammy nominated songwriter from Texas, who has appeared on everything from The Tonight Show to Austin City Limits, is championed by The New York Times, Pitchfork and NPR, and has had his songs covered by Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack, Brothers Osborne, Kelly Willis, and the Hard Working Americans. We talk with Hayes about morning routines and self-care on the road, breaking your audience's stereotypes of a former you, journaling, and divesting from outcomes.Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.Links:Hayes CarllEp 7 - BJ Barham (American Aquarium)Click here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss.
Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.

Sep 10, 2025 • 47min
Tami Neilson on fake rules, expiry dates, and champions.
Tami Neilson is a New Zealand-based artist who grew up in a family band, before releasing her own music independently - which has garnered acclaimed by Rolling Stone, No Depression, Mojo, and the Guardian, featured duets with Willie Nelson (and tours with him and Dylan), as well as a New Zealand Music Award for Producer of the Year (one of just 3 women to ever win the award, in any category). We have a wide-ranging, and deeply vulnerable conversation about brain injuries and health scares, the astounding resilience of artists, finding your champions, gate keepers, bucking stereotypes, and a whole lot more.Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.Links:Tami NielsonBranson Belle ShowboatEp 113 - JohnnyswimHardly Strictly Bluegrass FestivalAmerican Music FestivalOutside MusicWynonna JuddClick here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss.
Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.

Sep 3, 2025 • 57min
The Mammals on tradition, links in the chain, and localism.
The Mammals (Ruth Ungar and Mike Merenda, who also have a project called Mike & Ruthy) are a band from the Woodstock area with deep roots in the folk scene and traditions of the area, have worked with Arlo Guthrie, and Pete Seeger (amongst others), are critically acclaimed by LA Times, No Depression, NPR, PopMatters, and run the roots music festival called The Hoot. We talk with them about gratitude for the ability to create art and music, having faith in the low moments, being links in the (musical) chain, square dancing, and a whole lot more.Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.Links:The MammalsThe HootThe Ashokan CenterArlo GuthrieUtah PhillipsAni DifrancoWoody GuthrieEric WardWestern State CenterKen Burns Civil WarJay UngarDaniel QuinnClick here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss.
Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.

Aug 27, 2025 • 45min
Dan Reeder on shunning mediocrity, painting, and building synths.
Dan Reeder is a singer-songwriter and painter originally from Louisiana, who has lived in Germany for decades, released critically acclaimed records via John Prine's Oh Boy Records (as one of the first artists signed to the label, at almost 50 years old), and is somewhat of a cult folk-hero. Dan has toured very infrequently over his 20+ year music career, and we talk about why and his feelings about the concept of touring in general, his approach to staying creative musically and in his visual art, the connections he sees between painting and recording songs, we get an inside look at synths that he is currently building, and a whole lot more.Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.Links:Dan ReederIris DementPheobe BridgersJohn PrineHealing AppalachiaEp 75 - Nicole AtkinsJourney InstrumentsK&K Western MiniFurch GuitarsOh Boy RecordsEp 16 - Rodney CrowellEp 27 - Mary GauthierHarry PartchTex CobbClick here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss.
Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.

Aug 20, 2025 • 42min
AI vs Creativity. Then, Now, and Next with Drew Thurlow.
The episode in which we ask the expert all the questions about AI and making music, as it stands today: what can AI actually do? What is it going to be able to do next month? Next year? How do we retain rights? How do you ethically train AI models? Is our work safe? Is it protected? Are musicians done? What about AI bands eating up the streaming money? Drew Thurlow is the former SVP of A&R at Sony Masterworks, Director of Artist Partnerships at Pandora, and part of the A&R/marketing team at Nonesuch Records, and is currently the founder of the Lone Wolves Community - a music business and tech community and think tank, is founder of Opening Ceremony Media where he consults on AI strategy and more to companies such as RocNation, and has a book coming out in 2026 titled, “Machine Music: How AI is Transforming Music's Next Act."Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.Links:Drew ThurlowLone Wolves CommunityEp 111 - Bandcamp Editorial Director J Edward KeyesEp 109 - Major JacksonTiestoVelvet SundownTimbaland's AI labelSunoAnthropicJustin TranterClick here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss.
Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.

Aug 13, 2025 • 48min
Maia Friedman on the ladder, mothering on the road, and economics.
Maia Friedman is a solo singer/songwriter, as well as a member of The Dirty Projectors and Coco. We talk with Maia about the ingrained narrative of climbing the endless ladder, mothering while on the road, balancing the needs and the desires of parenthood and career, the economics of touring, navigating schedules in a dual artist-parent household, and a whole lot more.Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.Links:Maia FriedmanCocoDirty ProjectorsMountain Stage“Song of the Earth”Felicia DouglassPhil WeinrobeThe Legend of OchiClick here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss.
Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.

Aug 6, 2025 • 36min
Leslie Mendelson on self sufficiency, female representation, and gaps.
Leslie Mendelson is a Grammy nominated songwriter from New York City, a favorite of Jackson Browne and Jakob Dylan, she released her first record on RykoDisc before moving to releasing the past 4+ independently. We talk about self sufficiency in the music industry, learning to record yourself, the lack of female representation in the industry especially on the production/engineering end of the spectrum, the gear buying fallacy, combating perfectionism, and more.Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.Links:Leslie MendelsonRoyal Potato FamilyNew School for Performing ArtsSteve McEwanRykodiscEp 1 - Aaron Lee TasjanClick here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss.
Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.

Jul 30, 2025 • 56min
Tammy Rogers (The SteelDrivers) on collective bargaining, studio vs road, and flexibility.
Tammy Rogers is a founding member of Grammy-winning bluegrass band The SteelDrivers, a founding partner of Dead Reckoning (which is credited as being an early champion of 'americana' music), and is also a storied session musician, touring and recording with the likes of Reba McEntire, Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood, The Jayhawks, Buddy Miller, Matraca Berg, Eric Church, Jim Lauderdale, Todd Snider, amongst many others. We talk with Tammy about the importance of the musician's union and collective bargaining, flexibility and rolling with the ups and downs and changes, saying yes to as much as possible early in your career, road versus studio work, collaboration to cover weaknesses, and a whole lot more.Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.\Links:Tammy RogersThe Steel DriversJeff KingPatty LovelessTrisha YearwoodDead Reckoning RecordsDean MillerEp 7 - BJ Barham/American AquariamKieran KaneThe O’KanesReba McEntireMusician’s UnionNashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI)Click here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss.
Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.

Jul 23, 2025 • 42min
Carissa Potter (People I've Loved) on containing multitudes, universal basic income, and toxicity.
Carissa Potter is an artist, author, podcast host (Bad at Keeping Secrets), one of AdAges 24 Most Inspiring People of 2021, and is the founder of People I've Loved - which is found in over 600 stores globally and featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, Create Magazine, New York Times, Teen Vogue, Real Simple. Carissa has worked with ICA in Boston, BAM/PFA, SFMOMA, De Young Museum, CCA, The Body Shop, Anthropologie, The Color Factory, Urban Outfitters, The Hammer, & Pinterest to name a few. We talk about containing multitudes, social practice, the power of showing up in-person, cultivating through inconvenience, universal basic income and a whole lot more.Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.Links:Carissa PotterPeople I've LovedBad at Keeping SecretsEp 105 - Darren Thomas MageeEp 77 - Madi DiazNeedles and PensAnn Patchett“Sapiens” - Yuval Noah Harari“Homo Deus”Click here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss.
Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.


