Welcome back to the podcast. Sorry for the extended break, but we are back and ready to do some more interviews with our favorite artists--this time with a secret weapon. My wife Lisa is handling the editing and she is excellent. This episode is with Canadian Scott Cook. We met him in Montreal, but really didn't get to hear him until one of the Black Oak Artist pandemic streams--and we were stunned by his humor and songwriting. He played our house series this January to a small,...

Today's episode is with the delightful Danielle Ate the Sandwich. We met here in Fort Collins, back when Danielle still lived here, but actually first got to hear her sing in a Folk Alliance showcase. She then played a pretty magical show in our house series and we have been fans ever since. Danielle has a fantastic voice, and she writes great song as well. But on top of all of that, she has impeccable comedic timing which makes her live shows just so much fun. Please visit her website,...

I met Rebecca Loebe in Oklahoma when she played at the Norman Depot's Winter Wind series. She played our house series several summers ago, and we have kept in touch in between music conferences and tours. She is a thoughtful songwriter with an amazingly clear voice and a delight to see live. I hope you will visit her website (https://www.rebeccaloebe.com/ (https://www.rebeccaloebe.com/)), join her Patreon page, buy some merch and cds. And be sure to check out her Youtube page where she...

This episode features singer/songwriter Heather Maloney, who is one of our very favorite musicians. We met Heather at Four Corners Music Festival and have been fans ever since. We talk about a lot of topics in this podcast, but first and foremost is her Christmas EP, entitled Christmas Anyway, which you can download https://heathermaloneymusic.bandcamp.com/album/christmas-anyway (here). You can also purchase merch from this bandcamp site, or her https://www.heathermaloney.com/ (website). ...

In this episode, I sat down and chatted with Hannah Miller. Hannah is a prolific writer who has placed some of her music in television shows such as "This is Us," and "Sons of Anarchy." She has one of those voices that grabs you from the first word, and on top of that is a lot of fun to chat with. We had a great time chatting about her work, her aversion to touring, and her creative process. We also chatted about her new Christmas EP, which she put together during this pandemic. And it is...

Nashville's own Liz Longley sat down with me to talk pandemic management, songwriting, and her musical background. If you have not heard Liz, she is one of the best singer songwriters out there--writing insightful songs performed with a voice that will "wow" you. Her range and expression--on top of those great songs--combined with her grace and genuine concern for her fans explains why her most recent Kickstarter for her 2020 Funeral For My Past album made her the fourth highest funded...

I interviewed singer/songwriter Peter Mulvey for this podcast, but also for my political podcast, called Estate Sale. You can hear our more political conversation https://player.captivate.fm/episode/4ac6c733-14bb-4ad7-bd74-57b8253c38c1 (in that episode). But for our purposes, I wanted to talk about music and songwriting. Peter is a prolific songwriter, bicycle enthusiast, social activist, and has one of the more compelling voices you will hear. In addition, he is just a blast to chat...

We first met Sophia and Jo around a campfire at a Colorado music festival, but at the time, we all lived in Norman, Oklahoma. They were just starting out as singer songwriters, having started writing songs at the ripe age of 12 or 13. Since then, we have watched them mature as humans and as musicians, and had the great pleasure of running into them at the Montreal Folk Alliance. Since then, both twins have moved to Fort Collins, though with the pandemic, we have been unable to see them for...

I first met Brooke in 2017, and she played our house later that fall. She has one of those voices that grabs you, and she adds to that great songs and guitar with groove. In my opinion, she straddles folk and indy pop and does so with ease. She is also a fantastic human, and we have been fortunate enough to run into her over the years. We start our conversation--as all of ours do during this time--on the pandemic, and then cover songwriting and her musical influences and background. ...

In this episode, I sit down with Mark Erelli. If you have not heard him, I recommend digging into his work. He has been one of our favorite musicians since we first heard him in 2006. He released his most recent album, Blindsided, right as the pandemic started, so, like so many artists during this time, has been unable to tour in support of this great album. I hope you enjoy this conversation and then visit his website and order some music and merchandise. https://www.markerelli.com/

Those who have heard Pete and Crystal live, know already what great musicians they are and what fine music they create as Ordinary Elephant. We met them in 2018 when they were awarded Folk Alliance's Artist of the Year for 2017, and they graciously played our house series that fall. We have enjoyed every meeting at conferences or at other house shows. Their music evokes and older time, but with a contemporary feel. In addition to being fine musicians, they are two of the finer humans we...

Over the past five years, Caroline Cotter has essentially been constantly touring. That is, until the pandemic forced her to stop. She has spent the last six months in a very rural cabin in Maine--and she sat down to talk with me about the pandemic, self-care, and her approach to songwriting. We first met due to Emily Scott Robinson, and Caroline played our house in 2018. We have kept in touch ever since. She is a thoughtful person and songwriter with a truly lovely voice. Venmo:...

This episode features two singer songwriters, Caitlin Cannon and Alice Wallace. Friends and songwriting partners, they got together in Durango, Colorado over the summer, both to get Alice out of the humidity of Nashville and to write songs. The two are hilarious together, and write really good songs--both alone and together. We chatted about co-writing, mermaids (just have to listen) and the creative process. https://www.caitlincannonmusic.com/ https://www.patreon.com/CaitlinCannon ...

Today's episode features singer/songwriter Hayley Reardon. We met her in Montreal when Lisa saw her perform in an official showcase at Folk Alliance and was immediately taken by her voice and songs. She came to Colorado that following November and performed in our house series. And met our dogs. We were struck by her thoughtful approach to both performing and negotiating the music business. And of course, we loved her songs. When we saw her last, she was preparing for a songwriter in...

Those of you who have not heard Rachel Laven are in for a treat. While we were very quickly introduced at a music conference, we really first met her in our own home when she joined Emily Scott Robinson for our second house show. Rachel and Emily met at Kerrville and decided to do a mini-tour around Song School (Planet Bluegrass) and that included our little house show. From the very first note, we were Rachel Laven fans, and that has not gone away. We talk about her life in England this...

Today's episode features singer/songwriter Mary Bragg. We met Mary in Montreal at Folk Alliance International as she played in a showcase with Kyshona and Hannah Miller. We actually had both Kyshona and Hannah scheduled for 2020, but the pandemic interrupted. Luckily, we were able to host Mary last October. She is the consumate songwriter--takes the craft very seriously and she is able to evoke place and emotion with ease. In this discussion, we talk pandemic, creative thinking, the...

This episode features my conversation with Portland's own Clara Baker. We met in 2017 at Folk Alliance, and she played our third house show later that fall. We have kept in touch and have actually run into her at every Folk Alliance since. Clara is a gifted songwriter and a fantastic musician, and was a finalist for the Telluride Troubadour contest just last June. Her 2019 album, Things To Burn, was one of our favorite albums of that year and is in pretty constant rotation at our house. ...

In this episode, I sat down with Emily Scott Robinson, singer songwriter extraordinaire. Originally from North Carolina, Emily and her husband now travel around in their RV. She and I met at Folk Alliance International in 2016, and the following August, Emily played our very first house show. As I note with her, she played in our series before we knew we wanted a series. Emily has toured widely and honed her skills as a solo performer. She is well known for her great songwriting, and...

This episode features Minnesota's own Rachael Kilgour. We met Rachel at Folk Alliance in Montreal and were immediately entranced by her voice and songwriting. We had her scheduled for a house show here in Colorado, but the date coincided with the necessary lockdown due to the pandemic. Instead, Rachael gave us a lovely virtual Zoom concert for some 20 of our house show guests. Not as good as live, but her concert gave us all a needed boost at the beginning of this new normal. As I note...

Annie Sumi is a Canadian singer/songwriter from Guelph, Canada. In addition to being a fan, I am her American booking agent, and was working with her on several American tours prior to the pandemic. In this conversation, we talk about her observations about the pandemic, her approach to songwriting, and her general approach to music. I hope you will listen to here here and then purchase and download some of her music. She is a songwriter worthy of your attention. http://anniesumi.com/...

If you are in the folk scene in Northern Colorado, you probably already know about Shanna In a Dress, but she is also attracting attention outside the region, and was just named a finalist for Kerrville's New Folk Songwriting competition. We first met Shanna at Folk Alliance and then have seen her live several times since our first meeting. She played our house series in 2019. As I say in the podcast, Shanna is a unique and talented songwriter. She has great comedic timing, which makes...

In our second episode, I sat down and talked music with our friend Antonio Lopez. We met him through friends in common from Alamosa, Colorado, and have gotten to know Antonio and his wife over the last few years. He played our house series in December of 2019. Since then, he has completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund his new album, Roots and Wings, but has unfortunately had to hold off on an official release due to the pandemic. Antonio and I talked about the pandemic's impact...

For our first podcast, we chose the band who played our last in-person house show. Scott and Mallory make up The Rough & Tumble, and outside the pandemic, have toured the country in their camper--complete with their two large dogs. Their live shows are high energy, complete with great stories, songs, and humor. Just recently, their song "The Hardest Part" won the 2019 Independent Music Award for Americana Song of the Year. Today we talked about life during the pandemic, songwriting...