Mike Ragogna: Steve, let’s go over the history of “The Oil Song,” your commentary on oils spills from the seventies and on. Steve Forbert: That’s right, it originally came out as a bonus single with my albumJackrabbit Slim in 1979. That first version was about the Argo Merchant and The Olympic Games, then there was one […]
Continue readingMike Ragogna: How did it feel being a Grammy nominee? Tift Merritt: It definitely came out of left field. Nobody expected that to happen, and the best thing about being nominated for a Grammy is that you get to share it with your family and it’s sort of a validation for them for having supported […]
Continue readingMike Ragogna: What is your advice to new artists? Tift Merritt: It’s so simple. I think you have to love what you do, and you have to do the things that feed life to you. I don’t think there are any shortcuts. I think you have to be true to yourself, and I think that’s […]
Continue readingMike Ragogna: Now, despite having the best slacker anthem with “Don’t Look At Me,” what’s your advice to up-and-coming musicians who don’t want to be slackers? What’s your advice for young acts who want to get into making music professionally? Ned Brower: Find a new profession! [laughs] We’re still trying to figure it out. When […]
Continue readingMike Ragogna: Let’s start at the end of your new album, Eureka. “Don’t Look At Me” seems to have the opposite message of the first track, “Holding On.” Was it sequenced last for that purpose? Robert Schwarzman: For me, sometimes it’s like the energy of the song or the vibe of the song that affects sequencing […]
Continue readingMike Ragogna: Why is your best album, Dear Lover, not on a major label? Matthew Ryan: Oh man. Mike, I appreciate hearing that. My goal was to always keep getting better. I think part of what destabilized my career early on is that I didn’t feel like I’d created a great piece of work. It’s a […]
Continue readingMike Ragogna: What’s your advice for new or up-and-coming artists that are trying to find their way? Matthew Ryan: I’d say when you start out, you’re going to be naïve. And that’s beautiful. More than likely, you’re not going to be the exception, so you’re going to get challenged. That can be beautiful too. Then […]
Continue readingMike Ragogna: Let’s talk about your new album Tears, Lies And Alibis. Did you record it with a plan? Shelby Lynne: No, because I wrote a lot of songs for this record, and the end result was thinking about the present in some kind of way. MR: From your perspective, which are the ones that came […]
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