Lsq

On the eve of the release of her beautiful third studio album, Chaos Angel, singer-songwriter and actor Maya Hawke talks about how she arrived at her finest collection yet - a group of songs inspired by the idea of fighting one's own guardian angel. I loved getting to ask Maya about the creative path that led to this album, the music she was into as a kid, how she discovered her own musicality, the way her approach to songwriting and lyric writing has changed, even just in the months since she finished Chaos Angel, and more.

I had the best time getting to know the wonderful Gabriela Quintero of Grammy-winning psychedelic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela for this episode of the LSQ podcast. We recently met over Zoom for a conversation exploring important moments in her personal creative evolution — things like seeing an all-girl Japanese metal band when she was 10; or discovering Metallica thanks to the mixtape her sister’s boyfriend had made, as part of his romance strategy; meeting her bandmate Rodrigo Sánchez at a local culture house where they grew up in Mexico City; how their friendship and mutual love for playing guitar led them to playing together, eventually moving to Zihuatanejo and starting the band; their adventures busking in Ireland at the end of the 90s, and how that helped kickstart their career; and lots of other stuff, including their awesome latest album, In Between Thoughts… A New World. Rodrigo y Gabriela are on tour right now; get tickets here. 

Garage rock prince Ty Segall joins the LSQ podcast on the heels of his awesome fifteenth (!!!) studio album, Three Bells, to talk about the roots of his sound: how he first fell in love with rock and roll thanks to oldies radio (Beatles, Ronettes, Kinks) and a pile of vinyl records gifted by a Laguna Beach neighbor (Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Bowie), doing musical theater in high school, moving to San Francisco in search of like-minded weirdos and finding his community there, and more. We also talk about his quest to always be trying something new, and what sounds and styles he still hopes to explore. Ty and his band are on tour in North America now. Get tickets and details here.

Since there was a major influx of new listeners thanks to last week's episode 105 with Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig, I wanted to bring back this super fun 2021 interview with VW bassist (Chris) Baio, which we recorded in the lead-up to his solo album Dead Hand Control. This is an abbreviated version of the episode, but you can find the full interview HERE. We talked about Sex and the City, Burnt, Spin Doctors, "Bohemian Rhapsody," Akron/Family, his dad's Columbia House CD collection, seeing Cranberries at Jones Beach Amphitheater, VW's early days at Columbia University, and more.

Some bands, you love them almost instantly, and that was the deal for me with Vampire Weekend, who I was fortunate to be tipped off to early on, through some mutual friends in NYC. My love for them has only grown with each new album, as VW continue to explore new sonic terrain, including on their brilliant latest LP, Only God Was Above Us, which is out now. In this interview, VW frontman Ezra Koenig — one of my mega-favorite songwriters, and also one of my favorite dudes — talks about his mega favorites. And, somewhat unsurprisingly, we have at least a few in common — The Kinks and Belle and Sebastian, among the ones he talks about here. Ezra also shares how his music tastes were shaped by the 50s and 60s pop hits he loved listening to as a kid, on his local oldies station, and how that shifted into discovering Scott Walker and Neil Young and 90s hip-hop and early aughts Radiohead and a whole eclectic swath of other music, including 21st century faves like M.I.A. and Lana Del Rey. We also discuss the evolutio

There is no other artist quite like Beth Ditto, the brilliant singer, songwriter, actor, clothing and cosmetics designer, and frontwoman for the legendary indie band Gossip. Her voice is singular and her energy is magical. In episode 104, Ditto talks about the making of Gossip's exciting new album, Real Power, as well as her early experiences with music -- worshiping Cyndi Lauper and singing along with Skid Row during her childhood in Searcy, Arkansas, finding community in Olympia, Washington's riot grrrl scene in the late 90s and receiving crucial guidance from Sleater-Kinney back when Gossip was first starting, among other key moments. Find out more about the new Gossip album and their upcoming tour here.

Last fall, singer-songwriter and film score composer Dhani Harrison released a dynamic new solo album called Innerstanding, which gave me the perfect opportunity to finally interview him in depth. "To innerstand is to comprehend from a place of love and detachment, where you’re not forcing yourself or being forced," he explains. "If you come at things from a place of love, then you’ll always end up on the right side of history."  I’ve known Dhani for nearly twenty years, and I was so glad to have him as a guest on the LSQ podcast, and to ask him about his personal musical evolution. We connected over Zoom late last year, and he shared memories of how he first discovered and explored his musical talents, with encouragement from his dad, George Harrison, how skateboarding with his cousin in LA as a kid sparked his obsession with the Wu-Tang Clan, why, in spite of his abiding love for Jimi Hendrix, he never wanted to be a shredder, why he was so geeked to have Blur's Graham Coxon play (bo

Joe Talbot, frontman for the ferocious U.K. band Idles, explores his artistic roots -- how his sculptor dad taught him the value of a creative purpose, how his love for hip-hop evolved as he became more politically aware, the inspiration he drew from Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, how the early oughts breakthrough by the Strokes influenced him, what it was like for Idles to find their sound in Bristol's fertile music scene, and how they learned to try new things, with help from producers Nigel Godrich and Kenny Beats, on their excellent new album Tangk.

On the eve of her incredible sophomore solo album, What Now (out February 9th), hear Brittany Howard share the story of her creative journey as a singer, songwriter and performer, explaining how she first discovered her voice and where she still hopes to go with it, how bonding with her friends over music like Black Sabbath and Kings of Leon led into starting her own band, the Alabama Shakes, with some of those same friends, how seeing Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings in concert several years ago infused her with a whole new perspective on her career, and more, in episode 101.

Welcome to a super special episode -- not just because it’s the 100th episode, though I've gotta say I’m pretty proud of that, and so grateful to all of the artists who’ve given their time and been open to this conversation, but also because this episode features one of my favorite interviews from the podcast so far. I have been a deep admirer of Future Islands' music, and Samuel T. Herring’s soulfulness and poeticism as a singer and writer, since the band's early albums, and I loved hearing him share so many meaningful facets of his creative journey in this conversation. We talked about the excellent new Future Islands album, People Who Aren't There Anymore, as well as Sam's recent work on his own - the music he’s been releasing as Hemlock Ernst and his recent acting role in the Apple TV series The Changeling, and much more.

Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney join Jenny for episode 99, to talk about their new album, Little Rope, growing up in the burgeoning Northwest indie scene of the late Eighties and arriving at Olympia, Washington's Evergreen College just in time for the birth of riot grrrl in the early Nineties. They discuss their early days together, how they found their songwriting method, and how it has grown and evolved over the course of three decades and eleven albums. Get a copy of Little Rope here.

Proof of Life, the excellent fourth studio album by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun, has been one of my favorite LPs of 2023, and it's been awesome to see Joy's star rise in recent months. It was a true joy - if you'll pardon the pun - to meet Joy over Zoom and get to know more about their creative journey, growing up in Casa Grande, Arizona, as a child of Nigerian immigrants, coming to terms with their queerness against the backdrop of their religious upbringing. Joy talks about discovering artists such as Tracy Chapman and Bob Marley and King Sunny Adé as formative moments, as well as getting their first guitar at age 10 and discovering their ability to bring comfort to themself and others through their songs. Joy is currently finishing a US tour. You can get tickets here.

After years of admiring Jason Isbell's gifts as a songwriter and storyteller, I finally got to ask the alt-country artist about his earliest sparks of creativity, and it was fascinating to hear his memories of sitting on the front porch, singing with members of his extended family during weekly Sunday evening gatherings, and of listening to his Pentecostal preacher grandfather playing guitar, and introducing him to gospel and mountain songs and bluegrass and the blues. "Music was something that was presented to me as something that was directly tied with family," he says. "The way creative pursuits were presented to me, it was something people did because it made them feel better, and because they could control the machines. And they had grown up very poor and didn't have control over much else. I think that combination of lack of options and just a genuine love for the way the arts were presented to me from the beginning culminated in my identifying with it so closely. And then somethi

Alvvays have made some of my favorite indie music of the past decade, and although I’ve interviewed them briefly in the past, I loved going long with Molly Rankin from the band for episode 96. We talked about Alvvays’s awesome latest album, Blue Rev, the origins of “Archie, Marry Me,” which had it's 10th anniversary this year, about how Molly started writing songs as a teenager, inspired by learning the chords to her favorite Oasis tunes, what it was like growing up in a famous musical family (her father was among the members of The Rankins, the acclaimed Celtic folk group), how her songwriting practice began and how it has evolved, about her love of gardening and my love of Columbo, and more.

On the eve of Blonde Redhead’s first new album in nine years, their excellent Sit Down For Dinner, the band’s Kazu Makino joins the LSQ podcast for episode 95. She talks about how the experience of making her own solo album a few years ago inspired a new confidence going into this Blonde Redhead album; the influence she took from growing up in a household where classical music was playing at a soft volume at all times; the evolution of her songwriting within the band; how a good performance feels like a trance; and more. Blonde Redhead’s North American tour begins in mid-October. Get tickets here.

Episode 94 features an interview with singer, songwriter and producer Andrew Wyatt, whose voice and tunes you probably know from a few different contexts: In addition to being the frontman and lead songwriter for alt-pop band Miike Snow, Wyatt keeps incredibly busy collaborating as a writer and producer with artists like Dua Lipa, Charlie XCX, Caroline Polachek, Lorde, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and many others. The New York native is also a Grammy and Academy award-winning writer of movie music, notably for A Star Is Born, and the chart-topping soundtrack for Barbie, for which he co-wrote key tracks such as “I’m Just Ken.” AND, as if that wasn't enough, Wyatt is currently on the cusp of putting out his first solo album in a decade, Someday It Won’t Feel Like Dying. The album comes out this fall, but a couple of its singles are online here now Wyatt is also a pal of mine, and it was a pleasure to finally do the LSQ podcast with him!

Fresh off releasing "Two Songs I Wrote in 1993 & Recorded Last Week," legendary Australian singer-songwriter Ben Lee joins me for episode 93 (pure numerological coincidence!) to reflect on key moments of musical discovery -- seeing Nirvana play at Big Day Out, starring in a school musical called Uncle Moishe and his Mitzvah Men, recording fucked-up sounding songs on his Tascam 244, hoping to emulate Appetite for Destruction but coming up with something even cooler, figuring out how to get his demo to a record label, and more recent insights about longevity and staying true to your unique vision. He also discusses his songwriting practice today, prioritizing playfulness, supporting young artists, and more. Ben and his wife, Ione Skye, host an awesome weekly podcast called Weirder Together, and their Weirder Together podcast network presents shows hosted by J. Mascis, Lou Barlow and Jello Biafra, among others. Ben will be on tour in September. Get tickets here.

"I always said, I felt like, when the five of us are together, the universe does something different," says Albert Hammond Jr, guitarist for The Strokes, of his band's cosmic connection. "From the moment I met them, even before we did anything, all of a sudden the world felt different. I can only explain it like in the Matrix when he sees the numbers, so then it didn't feel that weird when stuff would happen. I didn't know what was gonna happen, but it felt like something was gonna happen." I had a blast interviewing Albert for episode 92 of the LSQ podcast. I am a massive fan of The Strokes (like, Top 5 all-time favorite bands kind of thing), and feel lucky to have a long history with them. Albert and I have known each other since the band's early days, when I got to write about them a bunch for Rolling Stone, and it's been awesome to watch his solo career develop alongside his band's. His new solo LP, Melodies On Hiatus, is one of his best -- 19 tracks that explo

The incomparable Jenny Lewis joins me for LSQ #91 and, let me tell you, THIS is one of my all-time favorite episodes. Not only is Lewis an artist whose music I've admired since her days in Rilo Kiley, but over the course of our ~15 years of friendship, I've learned what a hilarious, generous, soulful and inspiring person she is, as well. The release of her excellent new album Joy'All gave us a chance to get together at her place in Los Angeles and dig in on some topics we've never really talked about before, including her parents' old band, Love's Way, her years as a kid actor and how those experiences shaped her approach to her music career, how her love for hip-hop inspired her to start by writing raps, before she wrote melodic songs. We also talk about how her evolution through the Rilo Kiley years, and why it was important to her to forge her own path. Get tickets for her upcoming tour here.

On the occasion of their new 26th studio album, The Girl is Crying In Her Latté, the legendary Los Angeles art-pop duo Sparks (brothers Ron and Russell Mael) join the LSQ podcast to talk about the evolution of their sound; their work with producers such as Giorgio Moroder and Todd Rundgren, and why they value being able to produce their own music nowadays; growing up in LA seeing concerts by British Invasion bands they loved including The Kinks and The Who; getting to witness one of Jimi Hendrix’s first LA concerts; what they’re looking forward to playing during their 2023 tours, and more!