Hitting the scene in the late ’80s, Wesley Stace, then professionally known as the singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding, scored some early musical success with songs like “The Devil in Me,” “The Person You Are,” and an unlikely cover of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” More than 20 albums and collections later, he tends a multi-faceted career as a novelist, singer-songwriter, professor, book reviewer, and variety show host.
 
On May 18, Stace will release Greatest Other People’s Hits featuring tunes from artists like Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Serge Gainsbourg, George Harrison, Roky Erickson, and Pete Seeger, among others. In advance of the release, Stace answered his Essential 8 where he briefly spoke about songwriting, the album, and more.
 
Stace notes, “You can write quite as good and accurate a narrative of a musical career through the covers sung as the songs written. Often, I’ve found people like the covers more, which may speak for itself, but I’ve always found it a compliment: covers are my strong suit."

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
Not an actual person, but my friend’s older brothers record collection was a real influence on me. He had very good taste, and somewhat unusual for England at the time. I have a couple of friends who continually inspire me: Scott McCaughey is one.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
I have never known this about a song! But the honest answer is: when I’ve reached the end of the third verse (unless it needs one or two more.) I very rarely go back and change anything.

​Folk singer Heather Styka is prepping the release of her new album, North, due May 18th. Recorded with Danish backing band The Sentimentals in her family's lake house in northern Wisconsin, North travels through some familiar roots/Americana territory - love and loss, wanderlust and whiskey - but often, the heartbreak depicted is more civic than personal. Much of the album was written in the months following the 2016 election with some songs explore the question of how to respond to an increasingly divisive world, as well as themes of place and direction. In advance of the release, Styka took the time to answer her Essential 8 and spoke about songwriting, the story behind North, how she spends her days off, and more. 
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Is there a story behind your album’s title?
I’ve always been obsessed with direction, navigation. The album title North came from the first track, “Cities of the North.” As I tour, I often envision myself starting a life in a new place, but there’s also something about northern cities — Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Portland, Maine — that pulls me back in. The gravitational force of home. I absolutely love Austin and Nashville and Tulsa, but I think I’m a Chicago girl for better or worse.
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North is also a nod to the process of recording the record. Beehive Productions brought all their recording equipment to my family’s little cabin on a lake in the northwoods of Wisconsin, along with The Sentimentals, who are from Denmark.

When/where do you do your best writing?
I write a lot when I’m in motion, walking, driving, even riding my bike. Some of my favorite tunes just seem to appear, one line showing up after the next. There’s something about travel that opens me up to that flow.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
​I usually start from a place of personal experience and observation, but it often leans toward fiction. Regardless of whether the song is personal or more narrative, it needs to feel urgent and true for me to want to write. I need to believe in the song before I can finish it.

For the past decade, Canadian-born, New Zealand-based singer-songwriter Tami Neilson has been the queen of her adopted homeland’s country and roots music scenes. 

With her new album, SASSAFRASS! (due June 1, 2018), Neilson takes a giant step that will not only bring her music to the worldwide masses but is sure to garner widespread acclaim as well. On this all new 11-track outing, she places a heavier emphasis on soul music without abandoning her country and rockabilly roots forming a wonderfully retro style that sounds like a lost gem from the ’50s or ’60s. Ahead of the album's release, Neilson kindly took the time to answer her Essential 8 and speak about the story behind Sassafrass!, share advice from her dad, and much more.

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
​I grew up singing in my family band, "The Neilsons", so my Dad was my biggest musical mentor. Watching him drive the tour bus all day, arrive and load in, set up, do a show at full energy, meet people and connect with them, pack up and do it all again the next day- all while wearing the hats of manager/agent taught me everything I know about the music business.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
I don't think a song is ever completed and perfect, but, being a mother of 2 small children, my time is very limited and I can't really be too precious about my songwriting! I work well under pressure, though, so, there's something to be said for getting the most raw, undistilled emotions that first pour out.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
Sassafrass is slang for a person who is incredibly sassy and speaks their mind, which I felt really suited the theme of the songs on this album. I feel like I've really come into my confidence as a woman who isn't as concerned with the judgement of others, and therefore, isn't afraid to say what I think.

Ashlyn Grayce was born and raised in a musical family. Early on, she could be seen in print ads for companies like Cracker Barrel, Arista Records and Readers Digest. By the time she was a teenager, she had already made a name for herself as a writer and performer and has performed on festival stages including the Florida Seafood Festival, Bell Buckle Arts & Crafts Festival, and numerous local Nashville venues including The Bluebird Café, The Hard Rock Café, Tin Roof, Puckett’s and The Listening Room.  

Recently, the singer-songwriter released her first EP, Somethin’ ‘Bout a Song, which debuted at #4 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Chart and also appeared on the iTunes Bestseller list. Produced by Brent Rader, the collection is an extremely personal project and features six tracks, all written or co-written by Grayce with the intention of taking listeners on a musical journey through her real-life experiences touching on everything from love to heartache and breakups. The most personal is “601,” a heartwarming reflection about her childhood home, penned by Grayce after learning that the house was to be torn down. Here, Grayce answers her Essential 8 and talks about the EP, songwriting, how she spends her days off, and more!
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Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
​All of the songs on my EP reflect who I am as a person, an artist and a songwriter. They illustrate various chapters of my life whether I was going through heartbreak, falling in love, or moving from my childhood home that was later torn down. I also feel that the lyrics in my songs are very relatable and that most everyone can identify with and apply to their own situations. All of these real-life experiences have molded me into the person that I am today and it is my hope that through these songs, people will come to know me better.

When/where do you do your best writing?
It just depends… if I am writing alone, I tend to do my best writing at home and in my room. I also tend to find that my creativity is best late at night! If I am co-writing, however, then I prefer to be in a writer’s room at ASCAP, The Workshop, or somewhere like that because I love the environment and it eliminates distractions that you would otherwise find at home!

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
Honestly, it’s a combination of all of the above but some of my favorite songs on my EP come from personal experiences… for example; “I Need to Feel This” is about just needing time to focus on your emotions and not letting anyone tell you how you need to feel. It was my way of getting through heartbreak when I came home upset one evening and my Dad and little brother told me to get over him and to move on. Then, there is “601” which is about my childhood home being torn down after I moved. I think writing about personal experiences show listeners that you are willing to be vulnerable and share who you are with them. 

When they first met, Graydon James and Laura Spink had no idea that they would be married one day — much less touring the world together as The Young Novelists. Since the band’s inception in 2009, they’ve played stages across the U.S. and Canada, released three full-length albums, won numerous awards and continuous praise for their unmatched, effortless harmonies. But for their new album in city & country (released May 4th), the Toronto-based band decided to travel out of the city and in to small-town Ontario in order to connect the two places. After years of firsthand experience combined with historical research, James and Spink wrote over 30 songs inspired by a dozen Canadian towns. From that set, in city & country was born — a collection of ten songs that tell the universal stories of both parallels while highlighting the differences, similarities, and everything in-between. Here, Graydon answers his Essential 8 where he shares the story behind their album's title and talks about songwriting, the road, fan art, and more.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
Yes! As with almost anything we do, we try to give it a double meaning. The album is titled "in city & country" and, on the surface, that's a reference to the fact that we went to a group of specific small towns in Ontario (our home province) and wrote songs inspired by those towns. There is a bit of compare-and-contrast between city life -- we live in Toronto now -- and country life, which is how we were born and raised. There's an additional side reference to the fact that we tour and play as a duo but also have a full band for certain shows, so there are the more full-band sounding "city" songs and the more contemplative, harmony-based "country" songs on the album.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories,
something else or a combination?
I used to write almost exclusively about personal experience, which meant we had a lot of sad relationship songs, but I at least tried to give them some kind of twist: I usually told them from the other person's perspective. So it sounds like I've been in a lot of bad relationships, but really the songs are how the other person saw me, so I'm the jerk in the vast majority of the songs. But, for this album, Laura had a much bigger role in the writing and we were trying to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and write songs based on historical research, stories we heard from other people, and observations in the various towns we visited. To my mind, many of the songs have a stranger-than-fiction kind of vibe; the kind of story that gets told around the kitchen table in a conspiratorial voice.

When/where do you do your best writing?
Lately I've been finding that I will tool around with a song idea on guitar or piano for a little while and get nowhere with it. It's like banging my head against a wall for two hours. Then I'll take a break, usually go have a shower, and as soon as I step into the shower I get an idea for the first line. Then I have to sing that line through the entire shower for fear of losing it. I've heard stories about Prince, that he had a set up where he could record in any room of his house, and I completely understand that.

Johnny Fury may be drawn to creamy white Stratocasters and flashy flying Vs, but no matter what kind of guitar lands in his hands, the Austin bluesman always makes it sing. On Johnny Fury II (released May 11, 2018), Fury shows his prowess in soul and rock as well as blues and jazz, with a smooth, nuanced tenor capable of delivering splintering blues and affecting ballads. He’s already impressed industry judges; Fury was a finalist in the 2014 Jimi Hendrix Guitar Competition and a 2016 semi-finalist in the New York-based International Songwriting Competition. The latter nod came for “Without Me,” which appears on Johnny Fury II alongside six other originals and two covers - Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy Mercy Me (the Ecology)" and “All of Your Love." Here, Fury answers his Essential 8+ and talks songwriting, musical mentors, and a whole lot more.
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Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
I’ve been fortunate to have a few musical mentors. I studied guitar with Tomo Fujita, Jon Finn, and Bruce Bartlett when I lived in Boston. I learned a lot about guitar technique and music theory when I studied with them. When I moved to Austin, I met Donna Menthol. She has been my voice coach and musical mentor.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
I spend a lot of time editing my songs. I wouldn’t say there’s an “a-ha” moment. You have to work to get a song to sound right.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
Well this is my second album, hence Johnny Fury TWO.

Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
I wanted an album that was rooted in the blues. There’s a mix of jazz, soul, and rock influence. I included a couple songs with social commentary and political themes. I wanted to give people songs that have a message. I also wrote songs that people could really dance and jam out to. So there’s something for everyone.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I draw inspiration from the world. I draw inspiration from living. You have to take in everything: events, people, places, different experiences. Then you use your imagination to write lyrics and melodies.

When/where do you do your best writing?
I do my best writing at home. It’s better to be somewhere quiet, isolated.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
It’s a combination. For example, the song “Lucky Man,” is a made-up story. It’s a song about a crazy girlfriend. I feel people can relate. Everyone’s had a girlfriend, boyfriend, or just a friend in general that’s driven them mad at some point (not literally).

For over 38 years Tim Atwood has played in the spotlight's fringe backing country music's elite on the most venerable stage in country music history—the Grand Ole Opry.  Over the course of his career Tim has played the Opry stage over 8,500 times, backing thousands of country greats including Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Porter Wagoner and Little Jimmy Dickens. With his 2017 nod for  R.O.P.E. Entertainer of the Year alongside Gene Watson, Jeannie Seely, Rhonda Vincent, Rex Allen, Jr. and Leona Williams, Tim has successfully made the move from playing behind his peers to taking a bow alongside them. In September 2017 Tim returned to the Grand Ole Opry, center stage, as an artist - a career highlight for him and an absolute honor.

Buy This Piano A Drink was Tim's first CD showcasing his own talents as an artist, which he released in 2015. He has since released his first gospel album That Old Time Religion in 2016, returning to the gospel roots of his youth. Tim is set to release his third solo album in June, appropriately titled Livin’ The Dream. He has recently released the first single off the album “I’ll Stand Up & Say So,” and here he answers his Essential 8 talking about the album, conquering inner demons, meeting his heroes, and more.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
Absolutely.  My new album is called Livin' The Dream.  For thirty-eight years, I had the best job in the entire world.  I played piano for all of the greats on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. During that time, I looked at a lot of famous backsides.  A few years ago, I decided to change my view.  I'm loving what I do center stage now.  I love singing my songs and connecting with the audience.  I consider myself an entertainer, and I enjoy hearing an audience laugh as much as I enjoy hearing them applaud.  Recently I've won several major industry awards and have been a guest on some unbelievable television shows.  I'm proof that it's never too late to go after your dream.  I'm livin' it now!
 
What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? 
Piano great Jerry Whitehurst once told me to perfect my left hand—especially when it came to playing a country shuffle.  He also taught me that knowing when not to play, was just as important as knowing when to play.
 
What is your favorite go to food on the road?
Winter or summer, It's always chili.  If I'm traveling by myself, it's chili with beans.
 
What has been your biggest struggle so far?
My biggest struggle was conquering my inner demons.  For years I battled an addiction to alcohol.  My family and a few colleagues knew of my struggles, but it was something I tried to hide from the rest of the world.  Funny thing though, I couldn't hide it from myself.   There is a line in the song “Bottle of Tears” from my first album that hit my squarely between the eyes every time I sang it.  I battle my way to the top, but I bottle my way to the bottom.  I'm here to tell you that by the grace of God, I have conquered that battle.  Every morning I get up and say, Lord, I may stumble, but today is not the day.  Life is good, baby! 

Hailing from North Hollywood, CA, the Brady Harris Band is a Rootsy-Beatlesque quartet big on harmonies, chord changes and the occasional female cover version (Go-Gos, Blondie, Grace Jones).  Having played gigs up and down the California coast since releasing their critically acclaimed debut EP, NoHo Confidential, the BHB are back with the full length follow-up, NoHo Calling and ready to rock the NoHo Sound anew. 

The BHB first played a one-off gig to support Brady at a dingy bar on the industrial stretch of Burbank Blvd.  Then the rehearsals continued and the setlist grew as did the gigs.  John Adair handles lead guitar, harmony vocals and is the BHB’s in-house producer and multi-instrumentalist.  Marc Bernal holds down the bottom end and also sings harmony. Steve Markowitz keeps the time on the kit and also sings harmony. Brady, who sings, plays guitar and other stringed things, here answers his Essential 8+ and talks about songwriting, meeting Oasis, getting paid $100 after playing a Snoop song, and much more.

​Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
I’ve had so many. Some real. Some imaginary. 

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
Well, I’m a Clash fan and my fave album of theirs is called London Calling.  It’s been 38 years since that one came out, I guess it was time.  Also, it made me laugh.

Why did you chose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
I always like to compile my albums with a collection of songs based on the following criteria: 
Something Old. Something New. Something Borrowed. Something Bluesy.
“I Think I Know” & “Old Drunk Motherfuckers” have both been around awhile, so that’s the “Something Old”.  The rest of the originals are “Something New”.  NoHo Calling has two covers, The Go-Go’s “Our Lips Are Sealed” and Grace Jones “I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango)”, so that’s “Something Borrowed”.  And “Raise a Glass” is chock full of blues licks, so that about covers it.  Also, I like to have an instrumental on each release and that’s why “Battle of Swankershim” is included on this one.

When/where do you do your best writing?
Mornings, generally speaking.  It’s like you wake up with a clean slate and everything is fresh and full of possibility.  And it’s easier to get transfixed in some time travel mood or lost in a memory or photograph.  Don’t turn on your computer. Don’t check your phone. I tend to revise a lot more in the afternoon, around happy hour.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
​A lot of my songs are composites of personal experiences (Love Will Break You, Good To Know).  Some are completely made-up (Little Miss Mourning, Kate Stay Late). Some are combinations.  I wrote “Streets of Spain” after reading an article about the singer from an 80s band called Green on Red.  He married a diplomat and was stationed in Spain. She had a cush job and he fell into heroin addiction.  So he was living this dual life.  And I had recently visited Spain and seen plenty of street kids on the rougher edges of Barcelona and combined that into the narrative. 

Maine's The Mallett Brothers Band is gearing up to release their sixth studio album, Vive L'Acadie! on June 15th. The ten-song set, inspired by their Maine homeland and grounded in roots rock with touches of the blues, southern rock, and folk, traverses vast emotional territory. From gritty rockers ("Good As It Gets"), to rollicking tunes that pack a punch (“Timberline (High Times)"), to the downright celebratory (“Vive L’Acadie”) the all original outing showcase the group's distinctive, ear-grabbing style. In advance of the album's release, Will Mallett kindly took the time to chat about the album, his family's history, Maine, and more.

Vive L’Acadie! is really a fantastic record front to back. Did you approach the process of making this album any differently from your previous releases?
All of our records have been a little different, but this one is exciting because it is with our new line-up. This is the first album of original material Andrew Martelle (fiddle and mandolin) and Chuck Gagne (drums) have played on, and it felt really good to go into the studio and put stuff down together.

2017’s The Falling of the Pine was a concept album reinterpreting a collection of songs found in the 1927 book, “Minstrelsy of Maine.” How did the songs come together for Vive L’Acadie!?
Luke and I put most of the songs together in some embryonic form and then we flesh the arrangements out as a band and watch them grow organically. For example, there’s a song on here that Luke brought to the table called “Onowa” which is about a train crash in the 1920's and named after a little, unsettled town in Maine. Originally, it was an old-fashioned folk song ballad, but when the band got its hands on it, we turned it into an upbeat, exciting song with a lot going on. It was fun to watch the song develop from something acoustic and slow to a song with a pretty big sound that captures the scenery of the story as a train chugs across the wilderness.
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It’s really interesting to me how songs can be brought to the table one way and then take a complete turn into something different. Were the ten tracks all written since The Falling of the Pine or were some songs ones that you guys had in your pocket?
They’re all pretty recent except for “Headed Home,” which we recorded years ago and has been a staple in our live show. When we started out, we were more acoustic, but as our live show changed and developed into more of an electric rock and roll show, “Headed Home,” became this heavy blues number that we closed out sets with. It has this pretty extensive jam outro which goes into double- time before we bring it back down, so we thought we’d like to have the record capture the energy of the live show a little bit and close with that one. 

When you listen, it definitely leaves you feeling like you're at the end of a live show.
A couple current favorites are “Losin’ Horses,” “Few More Dozen Roses” or “Getting Back.” Would you choose one and tell the story behind it? 
Basically, when we’re touring, we drive, stop at a truck stop, drive, stop at a diner, maybe smoke, and repeat. When I began writing this "Few More Dozen Roses," I was thinking about other characters whom we met along the way and trying to picture their various adventures and misfortunes.

Vive L'Acadie! is not only the album's title, but also the album opener. What made that one so special to give it those honors?
“Vive L’Acadie!” is a phrase we picked up in a Fort Kent, Maine bar talking to an old Frenchman. It means “long live Acadia” which was a French province that encompassed the Maritime provinces of Canada and much of Maine. Even today, there are still Acadians in Maine who are express pride in their heritage. “Vive L’Acadie!” was a mythical saying, but is also a sign of respect for Maine’s multicultural heritage and multiculturalism in general.

Our other albums were influenced by the road, which is where we spend a lot of time and do a lot of writing, but we wanted this album to tie into Maine in some way. We felt “Vive L’Acadie” was a nice tip of the hat to our turf there while having this upbeat, celebratory vibe which was a good way to kick-off the record.

You guys currently reside in Maine, did you grow up there as well?
Luke and I lived in Nashville for 8 or 9 years when we were kids because our dad [David Mallett] was a songwriter. But, he wanted us to grow up in Maine, so he moved us back to the family homestead. My Dad’s mom’s family goes back seven generations and our ancestor Eli Town was supposedly the first permanent European settler of the county, which is a piece of fun family history. Our Dad’s dad moved to Milo [Maine] with his family from Nova Scotia which is where the Acadian part comes in. Now, our Mom grew up in Maine, but she’s English with some Portuguese which is a little mysterious….but we’ll figure that out for the next record (laughing).