Really enjoyed chatting with Eric from Black Pumas for this cover story on the band and their current tour. It was my first cover, and I couldn't be happier to have it feature this band - they're so dang good.
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Jeff Tweedy is probably my favorite songwriter (he and Todd Snider flip flop around, depending who I'm listening to at the time) - and I also love how he pointedly dismisses a lot of the mysticism around songwriting and creativity.
I really enjoyed this small but powerful book. You can check out my full review in Performer mag here:
BOOK REVIEW: Jeff Tweedy ‘How to Write One Song’
Bartees Strange released two records in 2020 that are just ridiculously good - an EP of The National re-imaginings, as well as his full length debut, Live Forever.
When I saw he'd posted on Twitter that he was hoping to be interviewed about gear and his sound, I took a shot at requesting one through Performer Magazine. I really enjoyed the conversation and his perspective on life and music.
Check out the interview here:
Bartees Strange on Making Music He Wants to Hear (and Letting Go of the Rest)
I was sorting through some magazines the other day and came across the Sports Illustrated for Kids that contains my very first byline. Back in ye olde days of the early 90s, SI for Kids had a feature called "You Write the Story," where they would post a picture and readers could send in a little tale about it.
The thing I remember most about the experience is coming home from school to my sister saying: "I'm not sure how your day was, but it's about to get a lot better." She'd taken the call from an SI editor and was so excited and happy for me - it felt really special. I vividly remember returning the call to their office in New York, which felt like calling the moon.
Also, how great is this cover?
Like a lot of folks locked-down during the pandemic, I found myself with a desire to do something positive with the stressful energy building up inside me.
That led me back to the creative comfort food of songwriting, which has always been a way for me to get lost in the moment in a different way than other forms of writing.I've been writing stories, poems, and songs from as far back as I can remember, and books have always a huge part of my life.
I remember getting in trouble in math class for hiding a novel behind my textbook - which probably explains why I still mix up mean, median, and mode. But that book (Stephen King's The Stand, if memory serves) was totally worth it.
I mode mean it! (If you stop reading after that terrible dad joke, I understand.)
I started playing guitar when I was 11 and had the good fortune to play guitar or bass in bands throughout high school and college and beyond. I still play when I can - a guitar is never too far out of reach and a new song tumbles out every now and then.
You can check out a few of them here if you'd like.
I'm originally from the Chicago area but now live with my wife, daughters, and scruffy dog Henry in south Louisiana.
Did I mention I've been writing stories for a while? Here's proof!:
You'd never guess it, but I was writing a twisty mystery filled with murder and mayhem! |