Hailing from Seattle, Kaitie Wade recognized her passion for music at any early age and has been moving toward it ever since. Since her move to Nashville in 2012, Wade graduated Belmont, released a single, "Tail Lights," and in April, released her first EP, Starts With a Song. With things looking bright for the singer-songwriter, Wade took some time to answer her Essential 8 and talk about the album's title, her dream venue and much more.
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What’s the story behind your album’s title?
“Starts With a Song” is the name of the last track on my album.
This song is about how I refuse to compromise my morals and values and I am going to get where I want to be by the only fool-proof and respectable way: straight up hard work and dedication. This song is an honest and slightly comical statement of who I am as an artist. I think people will get to know me quite well by listening to the lyrics, such as “I’m a wreck in high heels, ain’t about skipping meals, sleeping with CEOs or signing ten year deals”. I wanted to just be really real with everyone and be like “hey, this is who I am, and that’s that”. I hope it empowers others too. Starts With a Song was a perfect title to describe my EP. Since this is my debut album, I wanted to emphasise that this is only the beginning. That I have so much more coming in the future.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I believe the best kind of writers draw from their own life experiences - not trying to fit into a formula or sound like everyone else. I want my writing to describe me - I want my fans to feel like they know me after hearing my music. My writing is extremely honest, vulnerable, and  sometimes even witty.I don’t hold back at ALL. That’s one of the main things I have learned as a writer, to not let overthinking get in the way of saying what you need to say.

When/where do you do your best writing?
The place where almost all my songs have come from is my own car. Something about driving down the road gets me going. When I wrote my lead radio single, “Don’t Wanna Miss”, I was sitting in a Wal-Mart parking lot during finals week of my last semester of college. The inspiration literally popped out of NOWHERE. “Just Makes Sense” has a really funny story behind it as well. For a whole summer, I had to borrow my grandma’s 1985 Chevy Pickup truck. The radio didn’t work , so when I was stopped at a long light all I heard was the clicking of the blinker. At one particularly long light, a melody just popped out of me in the same rhythm as the blinker. Then, the song was born. ​

Recently nominated for Honky Tonk Female at the 2018 Ameripolitan Music Awards, Whitney Rose, who has earned accolades for her vintage pop-infused traditional country stylings, is winding down from an incredibly busy year. She released her EP South Texas Suite in January, followed that up with her full-length Rule 62 in October, and did her first major tour of Europe. A week before Thanksgiving, Rose kindly called to chat about talk about the album.

​This is your third full-length release, so for you, how have things changed in your approach to making a record from record one to now?
Up until this one, there really hasn’t been a change at all in terms of my approach. We basically go into the studio, I play the song acoustic, which is pretty much the first time the musicians hear it, we make some arrangement adjustments, and track it. But after making Rule 62 I’ve been thinking a lot about how to make the next one which will probably have some changes.

Well, what you have been doing is obviously working as the album has been very well-received. Once again you worked with Raul Malo; the two of you have a very strong working relationship.
I love working with Raul. He’s not only good at what he does, but he’s a good friend. We have so much fun in the studio - there’s this lightness to everything which is a really good thing to have because sometimes things can get heavy and tense and that’s not really the vibe I would want making any album.

Totally understand that.
You penned nine of the eleven tracks. Were they new, ones that were in your pocket, or a combination?
I had a couple in my pocket, but for the most part, the songs were ones that I started while on the road last year and finished up when I got home to Texas. I’m constantly writing, if not songs then ideas or narratives. It’ a thing I have to do. It keeps me sane.

South Texas Suite was a love letter to Texas, whereas this one seems to deal with the road and relationships. Is that pretty fair to say?
Sure. The album is a mixed bag of feelings I had to observations during my travels, things that were happening in the world and being a woman. And it’s funny you say that the songs are about relationships because I’ve been in a good, healthy one for over six years now and I noticed that I was writing all these breakup songs. At first, I had no idea where they came from, but it hit me one day that they were my reaction to not only being a woman in the industry, but being a woman in the world. I love being a woman, but I would say that sometimes it’s more difficult than being a man and this album is kind of representative of those feelings.

Singer-songwriter Aaron David Gleason's approach to creating music is nothing less than inspired -jazz-riddled rock with an occasional country tinge accompanied by a lyricism that makes it clear he has something to say. After releasing two albums (one self-titled and one with his then-band), Gleason had a nine-year hiatus (six of which found him working to overcome depression and an eye condition) from music, where he relocated from Los Angeles to New York City and started from scratch. Now 38, Gleason finally released a new album, Wry Observer in late October. 

Recorded over four days at Nashville’s Sputnik Sound, Wry Observer is filled with mystery and humor, taking inspiration from the great soul singers of yesterday, and offering insight on what Aaron has learned about life in the past 15 years. Here, in the Essential 8, Gleason talks about the album's title, songwriting, and more.

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
Yes! My musical mentor is on the album-Mike Garson. He is totally open to anything as a musician. Never has anyone been able to govern his curiosity. I'll never be the player that he is, but yet, he doesn't mind playing with me. He's always learning, and he's happy to pass on that knowledge to his friends. I'm very grateful for him. 

What's the story behind your album's title?
I'm sure everyone feels that they are the only ones who see things. Everyone feels isolation at times. We have that inner monologue going, that no one else can access. Wry Observer is my attempt to tell people to listen to that voice. "Here is my story, you may find it interesting"; more than that, I want to hear yours -- your inner most observations. 

When/where do you do your best writing?
I need a deadline or it could be a long long while. But also, movement helps: trains, planes. I would love to have a guitar waiting for me wherever I go, but that's not always in the cards. I might start singing to myself as I walk down the street. It's impossible to write in a vacuum. I have a love/hate relationship with reality, but sitting still at home is not much of one-I need to jump in the deep end. 

Nashville Magic is the 5th release by Maynard & The Musties, yet it is their first to be recorded in Nashville, where Maynard spent much of his childhood before moving to New York City for art school. After 30+ years, Maynard began commuting back to Nashville to help his aging dad before finally moving back. Nashville Magic evokes that transition. While "Sell-By Date" represents the end of Maynard’s time in NYC, "I’ve Got Friends Everywhere" is based on visiting retirement homes with his dad, who walked into one declaring, “I’ve got friends everywhere!” The instrumentation is mostly Nashvillians, including Donnie Winters (dobro and Les Paul), Tim Jones (harmonica), Jon Estes (Steelism), Aaron Mortenson (Los Colognes) and Michael Randall (guitar). Here, Maynard answers his Essential 8 including his musical mentors, the story behind the album's title, and more.

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
Growing up in Nashville in 2nd grade my parents split up and my mom was a night-shift nurse. We slept over at a baby-sitters’ often and one night she had a “hippie-party.” Kris Kristofferson apparently spent the night, and in the morning we had breakfast, discussing which was better: Sugar Pops, or Super Sugar Crisps. I believe this was my first bonafide aesthetic discussion with a bonafide artiste. My mom was super psyched that I met him, so I figured songwriting was something the ladies admired. 
When I was in my early teens, our youth pastor at church was an artist. He made me realize my fantasies, doodles, what-have-you could be taken past a “hobby” level and when someone asks you what you do, you can literally say, “I’m an artist.” 
I listen to everything from Free-Jazz to… well… Kris Kristofferson. My favorites for the past decade, songwriting how-to-wise, have centered in the territory of John Prine, Lefty Frizell, Willie, Waylon, etc. 
So many, not a single mentor. 

What was the a-ha moment when you knew a song was completed and perfect?
I write a lot. I tweak a lot. I add a verse six months later, or take one out.  But mostly, I rely on having fun performing a song with a band. I’m a band guy. If a new song sticks I play it over and over because it makes me feel good. If it doesn’t make an impact with my bandmates or has zero audience response, and especially, if I don’t respond, I tend to move on. Sometimes a song makes me feel good for a year or two, then I’m tired of playing it, and it goes to the back of the set list and I eventually forget about it. It’s more of a process than a moment.

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
It’s two-fold. First, the obvious thing is that Nashville has a mystique about it that is more than a mystique: There are simply an insane number of musicians and songwriters here, many of which are that guy from that town in say, Kansas, Indiana, Mississippi, that does those hot licks. They seem to be drawn to this town in droves and there is a wealth of talent that is uniquely “Nashville.” 

The second facet is what Nashville means to me personally, in my development, my childhood memories. Nashville was where my parents were last together and we were a “happy family.” Even immediately after their split, though serious problems emerged, my life was mostly happy, and Nashville has been a fun, warm place for me. When we moved north to Milwaukee then Michigan, things for us turned rather dark. So Nashville, ca. 1969 is my “happy place.”  

Nashville based husband and wife songwriting team Cloverdayle originally hail from the Pacific Northwest. After making the move to Nashville in 2014, Chad and Rachel spent their first year in Music City immersed in writing & recording.  By 2015, Cloverdayle joined forces with producer Steve Sundholm for their highly anticipated second full length album “Off The Grid”.
During their 2017 summer tour, the duo debuted their latest and quite possibly most personal song, “Scars," which they discuss, along with their love of the road, in the Essential 8.

With “Scars”, what was the “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?From the first time we played it live, there was such an emotional moment that happened in the room. It got really quiet and by the end of the song, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house… That continued to resonate throughout our 2017 summer tour and that’s when we knew that we needed to record it. 

What’s the story behind your song’s title?
The initial concept for the song started back in 2013, after I (Rachel) had an unexpected major surgery, waking up with both physical and emotional scars.  We discovered that I have stage 4 endometriosis and that, after years of trying, our chances of having kids naturally would probably never happen.  Writing this song has definitely been a part of the healing process.  It’s easy to get into a place where you’re feeling sorry for yourself, but what we wanted to convey in the lyric is the camaraderie of knowing that we all share the common threads of hurt and healing, and that at the end of the day, our scars are what make us the people we are.  With everything that’s happening in our world today, we feel the message of this song is so universally relatable.

When/where do you do your best writing?
We probably do our best writing on the road or at the beach.  When you’re driving it’s easy to get inspired by all of the scenery and humanity that you’re passing.  At our family beach house, the cell phones don’t work and there’s no wi-fi, so it’s great to be able to disconnect and get creative.  We do a lot of writing sessions in Nashville in pretty sterile environments, (publishing company writing rooms).  It’s great to bring ideas/lyrics/melodies/chords that we’ve written in moments & places that we were feeling inspired and creative, into a session that might not be as inspiring or creative.  

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
It’s all variations on the human experience:  the good times, the bad times and everything in between.  We’re very much “people people” and we want to be as relatable through our music as we are face-to-face in our everyday lives.

With their debut EP, Los Angeles-based band The Morning Yells are already drawing comparisons to Wilco and Fleetwood Mac. Siblings Laura and Phil Stancil are joined by Curran McDowell and Trevor Smith with all five contributing to songwriting and easily jumping from piano to guitar to bass. Their new EP Proper Wilted was recorded with Mark Rains and finds the quartet adeptly covering a variety of genres all highlighted by their heavenly harmonies. Here, the members talk about the album, weigh in on drinking at gigs, and much more in their Essential 8.

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
Our guitarist, Trevor Smith’s best friend Louis lives in England, and in England they have a saying for when you’re having a particularly good buzz… “Proper Wilted.” I don’t know, it made us laugh, and we thought it had a sort of ring to it. Especially pronounced in a British accent, which we tend to talk in anyways with each other, for some reason. ‐ Laura 2.

When/where do you do your best writing?
Usually when I’m driving in my car, snippets of songs or melodies pop into my head, or complete songs just the way they should be come to me on long drives. Also, about ten minutes after I try to lay down to sleep for the night, songs start to get real busy all the sudden in my head. ‐ Laura 

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
​Write a lot, play a lot of shows, and try and connect with other musicians. Keep yourself busy, and not too far down the road you’ll no longer be just starting out. Also, make some goals and timelines for what you want to accomplish. And finally, put on a helmet and brace yourself, because music will kick your ass. 

Singer-songwriter Butch Parnell (born Dave Parnell) recently released his latest EP, The Fall, a 6-track collection of soulful, emotionally-driven, and slightly twangy tunes that Parnell says is "...a familiar story of love and loss that I've tried to tell as simply and without pretense, as I can." Recently, Parnell kindly took the time to talk about the album, its story, and more.
 
The Fall is your fourth EP as Butch Parnell. Did you approach the making of this project any differently and if so, how?
I was working on another EP for about eight months and was gearing up to complete that, but all of a sudden, I decided to go in a different direction. With this EP, I kept things moving and turned it around in about six weeks, which was the fastest I have ever worked on anything.

I used to be in a band with five other people and with that came five different opinions and trying to work things around five people’s schedules. It took so long to do anything - we put out two albums in five years – which drove me insane. So, with this one, I wanted to see if I could do it or if I was the one holding things back.

A lot of people have told me some of their best work comes the quickest. Do you find that?
I do because the more time you spend on something, the more the critic shows up and nothing kills creativity or puts doubt into something like second-guessing.
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I totally get that. There are six songs on the project, five originals, and a Beyonce cover. Were the five ones you had written recently, ones you had in your pocket, or a combination?
Some I had for a while and just didn’t know what to do with them. The last track, “The Break,” I wrote almost four years ago. It was a song I recorded, but there was just something not right with it, so I scrapped it. When it came time to put the songs together for this EP, I felt like it was missing this song, so I gave it one more go, coming at it from a different angle, and the song came to life. 

Jason Morton and The Chesapeake Sons owes their geographical roots to the Atlantic seaboard, but its sonic heritage connects the band firmly to The Black Crowes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Marshall Tucker Band. With the new album,  Jason Morton and The Chesapeake Sons, the four-piece ensemble blends effusive melodies, fierce musicianship, convicted vocals, and smart lyrics in a diverse song stew that dips – in Southern-rock fashion – into rock, blues, country, gospel, and even psychedelia. Here, front man Morton answers his Essential 8.

When/where do you do your best writing?
In the recording studio at night. I've always really enjoyed writing in the studio because there are so many different instruments available. I can't tell you how many times I would be playing chords on the guitar, but could not figure out a vocal melody for the life of me. So, I would put the guitar down, walk across the room, play the same exact chords on a different instrument, and the change in sound inspired a fresh new melody that I never would have thought previously.

What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
The best advice I received was in regards to songwriting as an artist. They said, "As an artist, you're going to be out there touring and winning people over with your live show. If your live energy is what people love you for, then you need to keep that in mind when writing songs you plan on playing on the road. Are you writing for radio? Or are you writing for your fan base and your live show? It's always best, more fun, and less stressful to focus on writing songs that represent who you truly are as a live performer, as opposed to writing something "safe" that fits in with everything else that people are already doing."

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
​Be true to yourself, your music, and your overall brand. Put out a product that YOU are happy with. Remember...as a musician, it's the MUSIC you create that defines you more than anything else. So, make sure it's something that you're proud of. When you are proud of something you create, you naturally believe in it's ability to do well. That also shows on the outside when you're performing those songs. People can feel that and it's infectious. Fans and viewers are smart. They know right away whether someone is faking it or not. Don't fake it. At the end of the day, you are the one that has to live with it.

Long known and loved as the front man for 90's rock band the Spin Doctors, Chris Barron flexes his musical muscles with his new solo project, Angels & One-Armed Jugglers which was released on October 20th. The eclectic, yet cohesive, eleven song set dynamically blends genres while eschewing typical lyrical themes, relaying stories that are personal, accessible, and ear-grabbing. Recently, Barron graciously took the time to speak about the album, the impact of losing his voice for the second time, and more. 

Being that you’ve made numerous records with the Spin Doctors, as well as your previous solo record [Pancho and the Kid], did you approach this project any differently? And if so, how?
Over time, you create a process that is consistent, yet I think every record you make is different because you’re at a different point in your life. When the Spin Doctors make records, Aaron [Comess] is in charge of the drums, Eric [Schenkman] the guitar, Mark [White] the bass and I have the vocals. On this one, even though other people were playing instruments, if something went wrong, that reflected on me. But during the process of making the record, I found out that I actually knew more about things than I thought I did, which is similar to when my daughter was born. I didn’t know how I was supposed to take care of a baby, but when she cried, I picked her up, held her gently against my chest, and took deep breaths; she stopped crying and I wasn’t scared anymore. I don’t know how I did it, but I did, which is how making this record was.

Seems like it was very intuitive.
Was this the first time that you had done a crowdfunding for an album?
I had never done a crowdfunding before and it was a great experience. At first, I could not see asking people for money to make a record, because I come from the 20th century where if you were good, you got a record deal and the record company gave you the money. But the other side of that is that with a record company, you’re not only trying to make a record that’s commercial, but you’re also trying to make something that fits in with the record company’s product line. Crowdfunding is a different animal. It’s like a pre-order, but with the fans not knowing the type of record you’re going to make, yet saying, ‘Alright, cool, make your record way you want, and we’ll support it.’ That’s super gratifying and very rewarding because they're helping me make the record I want to make.

I was reading that the album morphed from an acoustic one to the full band final product. Did your producer, Roman Klun have a hand in that?
Roman had a hand in that in quiet and mysterious ways. My intention was to tour just me and a guitar, so initially, with this record, I wanted to strip it down acoustically. Roman agreed, but with a funny smile that indicated he had something on his mind.

I wanted to record the songs and frame them the best I could in that manner, but Roman guided me to do what was right for the song rather than what was right for me when I'm on stage with them. He’s a terrific producer who gave me a lot of confidence and was very much there with good ideas when I didn’t necessarily know what to do.

You know, what's cool is that I wrote these songs with just me and my guitar. And now, on record, they get this big, beautiful production, but when someone sees me live, it’s a totally different interpretation with the songs broken down to their basic elements. I think people will find it very interesting. 

Tyler Mahan Coe spent thirteen years with the David Allan Coe Band, riding around the country with nothing to do but read books on the history of country music artists and institutions. As a result, Coe says he has "all these stories sitting around in my head" and decided to share them with fellow music lovers on his new podcast, Cocaine & Rhinestones. The first season will cover the musical partnership of Buck Owens and Don Rich, the three major players of “Harper Valley PTA," Wynonna Judd’s path from childhood through The Judds to her solo career, Doug and Rusty Kershaw, Spade Cooley (who tortured and murdered his wife), The Louvin Brothers and an episode dedicated to everything Ralph Mooney did for the entire genre of country music. With the first few podcasts already receiving a tremendous response, Coe kindly took the time to answer a few questions via email about the podcast, the stories he plans to share, and more.

First up, what is the significance of the name Cocaine & Rhinestones?
Well, I’m certainly not advocating the use of either one… Um, there’s a lot I could say here. The name means several different things to me. People think of cocaine as a seventies drug or an eighties drug but, as you can hear in the song I use at the very end of most episodes, it’s been around for much longer than that, particularly with musicians. Really, when you hang around the old-timers, cocaine use and rhinestone suits are always going to come up. They’re either talking about how they did blow or someone else did blow, they had rhinestones suits or they didn’t go in for that look. The name needed to be something where anyone who is already a fan of old country music would immediately know what to expect when they saw the name. Like I said, there are many different ways to interpret the name and, at least for all the ones I’ve thought about, that is very much intentional. 

Cocaine & Rhinestones covers incredibly interesting stories in music history, what spurred this new venture?
Well, I never really listened to podcasts or audiobooks or talk radio - anything with people talking - because I’m always multi-tasking and can’t pay attention. But a lifetime of playing guitar with poor posture has left me with a lot of lower back/hip problems and, about a year ago, I came upon an effective form of physical therapy I could do at home each night. It took an hour or two where I couldn’t really “multi-task,” so I started listening to podcasts during that time. I mostly prefer scripted, narrative things to the “one or several people having a conversation with microphones” format of podcasts. After a couple months of this, I realized I was breaking down the episodes as I was hearing them. Their outline, format, structure - whatever you want to call it - I could see it as I was listening just as plainly as if the script were in my hands. I thought, “I can do that,” and decided to give it a try.

How did you decide what/who you want to cover? Why do events in music history appeal to you?
It all kind of happened in the same moment. As soon as I realized how stories are told in podcast form, the next thought was, “Oh, and I know 10,000 stories that no other podcast is telling.” It wasn’t a matter of deciding to make a podcast and then going out to find out about all this stuff. My entire life has quite sincerely been lived in and around country music. Some of the stuff I’ll be talking about, I was there and saw it happen. But I’ve also been reading musician autobiographies and critical volumes on the genre since I was 12. I knew there weren’t any other podcasts about the history of country music because that was one of the first things I’d looked for when trying to find things to listen to myself. So, once you choose any topic as huge as The History of Country Music, the only decision you have to make is do you start at the beginning and work your way to the end in chronological order? Or do you go non-linear, choose places to jump in-and-out until the bigger picture becomes clear to the audience? I chose the latter.