Spencer Cullum cut his teeth in Detroit playing with a rock and roll band before moving to Nashville and becoming an in-demand session player, playing with Miranda Lambert, Kesha, and Deer Tick. Eventually he began writing his own songs and invited Nashville luminaries like Caitlin Rose, Andrew Combs, Erin Rae, and Skyway Man to play on his record. Coin Collection is a timeless sounding blend of folk music, prog, and kraut rock, with breathy harmonies, dream-like (and intentionally obscure) lyricism, and of course, some killer musicianship. We talked about him learning pedal steel from the legendary fellow British steel player…

Lou Turner is a native Texan and current Nashville resident. She plays with the band Styrofoam Winos and she released a solo album entitled Songs for John Venn last year on Spinster Sounds. She also published a book, Shape Note Singing, on Vegetarian Alcoholic Press.  Songs for John Venn is truly a glowing masterwork, reflecting on themes of transformation and finding the good parts of non-secularism while leaving others behind. We talked about the inherent spiritualism of making music in community, her artistic development as both a poet and a songwriter, writing as a means of being part of a…

Johanna Samuels isn’t a person who loafs around when touring slows down. She had a busy ass year while staying at home, organizing, community building, and writing copious amounts of songs. As we began to see the light, she released her gorgeous album Excelsior!, a deeply personal album dealing with topics ranging from love, sexual assault, the state of the world, death and loss. The album was named for how her dearly missed late grandfather signed his letters, “Excelsior!” meaning ever upward. And moving onward and upward is what Johanna’s music does – it’s a processing mechanism, a gorgeously orchestrated…