Talkhouse Podcast

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast, we have two artists who recently became writer-directors after finding success in other creative fields: singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee and actor Carlson Young. McKee, a Grammy-nominated hit songwriter best known for her collaborations with Katy Perry, is now on the festival circuit with her powerful and very personal short April Kills the Vibe, while her friend Young, who broke through on the small-screen version of Scream in 2015, just made her feature debut with The Blazing World, which world premiered at Sundance this past January. In their compelling conversation, the two talk about their journeys behind the camera, their COVID experiences, making movies as a form of psychodrama, Bonnie’s upcoming music-inspired film project, Carlson’s recent nightmare experience with a moving scam, and much, much more. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com/film. Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.

It might feel like a lifetime ago, but it was just over a year ago in February of 2020 when we got new albums from both Tame Impala and Caribou. For Kevin Parker, The Slow Rush was his fourth full-length record following an extended break after Currents. Caribou fans had a slightly longer wait for Dan Snaith's tenth record, Suddenly.Now both artists have rereleases in 2021. Kevin Parker and company recently celebrated ten years since their debut record, Innerspeaker. There's a new behind-the-scenes short film chronicling the 2010 recording process, a box set, and an upcoming livestream performance later this month, April 21 (more info on tickets here), of the full album from the Wave House. Dan Snaith has also been in the news recently, releasing Suddenly Remixes, featuring reworked tracks by Toro y Moi, Four Tet, Floating Points, and others.This conversation, which originally aired in October of 2020, never has a dull moment and features the pair chatting about how and when they first met, having confidence as an artist, and their "de facto lockdown albums." Don't forget to subscribe to the Talkhouse Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.—Keenan Kush, Talkhouse Director of OperationsThis week's talk was originally produced by Mark Yoshizumi and Elia Einhorn. This episode was produced by Melissa Kaplan. The Talkhouse Podcast theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Sharon van Etten and Jamie Stewart met a few years ago, when producer John Congleton recommended the Xiu Xiu frontman as a contributor to the singer-songwriter's 2019 album, Remind Me Tomorrow. Though their music isn't super similar sounding, each traffics in a kind of emotional honesty that's difficult to pull off but incredibly rewarding. Van Etten contributed vocals to the song "Sad Mezcalita" on Xiu Xiu's new all-duets album, OH NO, and the two chat about that collaboration here, along with the creative process, being open in their songwriting, and much more.This episode was produced by Melissa Kaplan. The Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range.

In this week's Talkhouse Podcast, we hear from old friends Dan Deacon and the members of Future Islands. Both came up in the super fertile Baltimore scene, and both released new albums in 2020. Future Islands asked Deacon to remix their recent track "For Sure," and he took it to epic new heights, which they discuss on this chat—along with the reality of staying home during the pandemic, what their writing/road-testing/recording processes are like, and a brand new genre that they hope to create when this is all over. Sports Jazz! Enjoy.This episode was produced by Kevin O’Connell. The Talkhouse Podcast theme was composed and performed by The Range.

Two very funny people have a very funny conversation on this week's Talkhouse Podcast: Michael Ian Black and Jen Spyra. Black you probably know as part of the sketch-comedy troupe The State, or from his many podcasts—the latest is Obscure—or maybe one of his books, including last year's more serious A Better Man. Jen Spyra just released her first book, a collection of darkly hilarious short stories called Big Time. The two were fans of each other's work before their chat, but you can hear them get to know each other better. They talk about their writing processes, self-doubt, Michael's poker playing and Cameo birthday-ing, and lots more. Enjoy.

Andrew Bird and Jimbo Mathus have known each other for decades, going back to the beginning of Bird's solo career and Mathus' earliest days with Squirrel Nut Zippers. Most of their work together has been assistive—Bird would add his fiddle to the Zippers' records, and Mathus would return the favor with some horns. But a couple of years back, the old friends decided to write some songs together, and the result is These 13, a truly collaborative album featuring just their voices, guitar, and fiddle, for the most part. It's spare and surprising. In this Talkhouse conversation, they chat about the old days and the new, as well as a shared love of Charley Patton. Enjoy.—Josh Modell, Executive EditorThis episode was produced by Kevin O'Connell. The Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range.

Todd Rundgren is a legendary musician and producer whose list of credits is impressive as the man himself is down to earth. He had his own string of pop hits—including the novelty song “Bang on the Drum All Day”—and experimental albums, both as a solo artist and with the Nazz. He produced Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell, one of the biggest-selling albums of all time, as well as New York Dolls’ self-titled debut, one of the most influential. This month, he’s been on the “Clearly Human” tour, which—due to obvious reasons—is all virtual. As a tech pioneer, he’s doing things a bit different, as you’ll hear in the podcast.Eric Slick is a fellow Philly boy and longtime fan of Rundgren’s who was excited to chat with him. Slick is best known as the drummer in the excellent Dr. Dog, and he’s also a frequent Talkhouse contributor. If that’s not enough, Slick recently released a magnificent solo record called Wiseacre. The two chat about making records, playing shows, and—of course—a certain former president.This episode was produced by Kevin O’Connell. The Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by The Range.

Mike Ness and Ben Nichols both front bands that blur the already-blurry genre lines between punk, Americana, country, and more—so it's no surprise that the two get along. Nichols' band, Lucero, opened for Ness' band, Social Distortion, on a tour about a decade ago, and the two hit it off. Since then, Lucero returned the favor by taking out Jade Jackson's band—which features Ness' son Julian on guitar. The occasion for this Talkhouse conversation is the release of Lucero's newest album, When You Found Me. The two songwriters talk about their craft, their kids, and how to write a song that makes a statement without getting political. —Josh Modell, Executive EditorThis episode was produced by Kevin O’Connell. The Talkhouse Podcast theme was composed and performed by The Range.

Tamara Lindeman and Julia Jacklin are spending the pandemic thousands of miles away from each other, but you’d never know if from the closeness of this Talkhouse chat. Lindeman, who’s based in Canada, just released her fifth album as The Weather Station—and Ignorance is already making waves. It got the coveted Best New Music designation from Pitchfork, as well as a five-star review in The Guardian, both well deserved. Jacklin, who’s from Australia, finished touring her last album, Crushing, not long before the lockdown hit. Here, they discuss the ins and outs of how much they share in their songs, what they’re looking forward to when normalcy returns, and Joni Mitchell.This episode was produced by Kevin O’Connell. The Talkhouse Podcast theme was composed and performed by The Range.

In the third episode of McIntosh's "for the love of music..." podcast series presented by Talkhouse, Elia Einhorn spoke with one of the most recognizable names in popular jazz and soul: Gregory Porter. Gregory has been using his powerful baritone on both Broadway and concert stages for decades. His smooth take on classic American pop forms has earned him critical accolades, and fans the world over. The multiple Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has long had an intense touring schedule, and while the pandemic has forced him off the road, he’s been staying very busy. Gregory has a podcast of his own—called The Hang—and recently released a new album of original music, All Rise, which was nominated for Best R&B Album at this year’s Grammys. In this episode, Gregory talks about writing songs in the sky, English accents in gospel music, recording in some of the coolest studios in the world, and much more.