Josh Ritter on Storytelling, Fiction Writing and Autobiography
Although Josh Ritter has spent nearly 15 years telling stories in song, he’s never been particularly interested in telling his story. That changed on Ritter’s latest release, “The Beast in Its Tracks,” a collection of songs more autobiographical than any he…
Plants and Animals Talk Piano, Experimentalism and Taking Their Time
A lot of bands say that every album is a reaction to the album that preceded it, which is certainly the way Plants and Animals approached its latest, “The End of That.” After taking just two weeks to record 2010′s…
Austrian-Ghanaian singer Anbuley talks about her musical and cultural influences
Electronic dance music these days has become largely synonymous with dubstep, glo-fi and DJs in mouse hats, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find artists mining unexpected influences. The Austrian singer Anbuley, for example, blends electronic sounds with the…
Young the Giant talks life on the road, cover songs and love from Morrissey
It’s been a steady climb for Young the Giant. Over the past several years, the Irvine, Calif., alt-rock band has grown from an opening act to a headliner, from cramped clubs to roomy theater stages, at home and abroad. Now…
James Low talks disappointment, country music and videos
If your heart needs breaking — and if you’re a certain kind of music fan, you know it does — then James Low Western Front is the band to do it. The group’s new album, “Whiskey Farmer,” is a beautifully…
kayln rock talks about inspiration, themes and capitalization
The truth is, kayln rock is such a cheerful, intelligent conversationalist that you can’t help but learn three facts, and more, from the fact that she recently had her wisdom teeth out (“Your teeth make this funny sound when they’re…
The man behind Argyle Johansen talks songwriting, tuba and what he has in common with Hootie and the Blowfish
In pursuit of 3 Facts about Argyle Johansen, we learned one fact right away: It’s a them, not a him. True story: the Brooklyn band is the project of one John Wentz, a New Jersey native who writes and sings…
Winnipeg’s Enjoy Your Pumas make their own way on debut LP, ‘Commonality’
You’ll never get a straight answer from Enjoy Your Pumas about the band’s name “We change the story every time,” guitarist Josh Benoit admits to Listen, Dammit, after spinning a tale involving a book he supposedly read about a post-apocalyptic…
Gang of Four talks ‘Content’ LP and why the deluxe edition includes vial of blood
Gang of Four was one of the most socially and politically outspoken bands of the post-punk era and 30 years later, little has changed on the group’s latest, “Content,” out today on Yep Roc. Although it’s Gang of Four’s first…
Jenny and Johnny talk songwriting as a duo, touring and the art of conversation
Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice are young, pretty and in love. Luckily for us, they’ve got better things to sing about. On “I’m Having Fun Now,” their first album as duo Jenny and Johnny, Lewis — former lead singer of…
