AOTW / The Swell Season

It was probably only about ten minutes into my first viewing of the movie, "Once", that I knew Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova would become two of my favorite songwriters. The Swell Season produces music that just hits me in all the best ways. Insightful and challenging lyrics, hauntingly beautiful melodies, timeless but progressive instrumentation, and two voices that blend together like I've never heard before. After all the success from their Oscar winning hit, "Falling Slowly", the only possible concern may have been around how they would follow it up. However, they've put that concern to rest with the release their brilliant new album, "Strict Joy", earlier this week. Check out the video below to learn more about the album, and be sure to visit TheSwellSeason.com!

Questions w/ Joy Williams (part two)

Here is part two of “Questions” w/ Joy Williams. Enjoy the interview and be sure to visit the links at the bottom to learn more about Joy and pick up some of her music for yourself!

StSL – You’re pulling double duty these days with your solo work and with John Paul White in The Civil Wars. How did that partnership come about?

JW – We met by a Parisian circus in the Fall of last year. He was playing on a corner street by the flame throwers for a few extra Euros to get back home, and I was backpacking around France and heard the most amazing voice echoing across the street that day. I went to tell him - in French - how beautiful his music was, and he responded to me in a Southern drawl. And the rest is history...

StSL – Speaking of The Civil Wars, I can’t stop listening to “Poison and Wine”. Can you share a bit about the meaning of that song?

JW – Love has a way of ripping you apart just as much as it has a way of holding you together, and this piece is a gut-level-honest tug and pull of affection and affliction felt between two lovers.

StSL – A stranger comes up to you and says, “Play me the best song ever written.” What do you play?

JW – "Like A Rolling Stone" - Dylan

StSL – Let’s step away from music for a second. What’s your favorite movie quote?

JW – Too many to pick from. This is by no means deep, but the one that immediately popped into my head: "That's one doodle that can't be undid" - Juno.

StSL – Can you tell us about what you’re focusing on right now, and what we can expect in the near future from Joy Williams?

JW – Well, I’ve just finished up the TOT tour. Been quite a ride...sad to see it come to an end for the Fall. But I won't be home for long. With the recent release of the "Songs From This / Songs From That" double EP, I'm also focusing on heading back out on the road with that. Add to it several shows booked for The Civil Wars, and a new EP from us releasing within the next month. After that, a solo full-length is coming in the not too distant future.

Thanks so much to Joy Williams! Please visit the links below to learn more about Joy and The Civil Wars, and join us back here in two weeks for "Questions" w/ Matthew Mayfield.

Joy Williams Official Site
The Civil Wars Official Site
Joy Williams on Brite Revolution
Joy Williams Blog

Questions w/ Joy Williams (part one)

If you’re a frequent reader of Saving The Set List, then you’ll be no stranger to this week’s artist. Singer/songwriter Joy Williams has been a regular topic and a friend of StSL from the beginning. Fresh off the highly successful Ten Out of Tenn (TOT) fall tour, and with the release of her brand new double EP, “Songs From This / Songs From That”, as well as featured songs in recent episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “90210”, she’s been enjoying some very well deserved success. Whether as a solo act or as one half of The Civil Wars, Joy Williams has fast become one of my very favorite artists. So, it is with great pleasure that I present to you part one of “Questions” with Joy Williams...

StSL – Your new double EP just released in September. What can you tell us about “Songs From This / Songs From That”?

JW – "Songs From This / Songs From That" is a handful of musical Polaroids I've taken, so to speak, over the last several months. It is an eclectic project, sonically & thematically, and I didn't want to hide that. Instead, I wanted to highlight it. It's where I'm at these days. It's been a year full of up's and down's, twists and turns, full of experimentation, and of continuing the conversation musically as I continue to journey in this new season of creativity.

StSL – What has it been like for you being a part of the “Ten Out of Tenn” community of artists?

JW – It's an honor to be a part of the credible brand that TOT has established for showcasing independent artists, and it's a privilege to be out on the road with this year's group. I truly enjoy the music of each artist in their own right, so it's been fulfilling putting all of our hands together to create it each night on stage. Every artist out on TOT brings a different flair - personally and musically - and it's been fun... it feels more like traveling with family than just simply being on tour.

StSL – Having made the move from California to Tennessee, what have you found to be the key differences between the two in your life as an artist?

JW – In NorCal, music felt more like a hobby to me...because it was. I was surfing, hiking, going to school, etc. But when I moved to Nashville, I could literally feel the creative history from every sidewalk of the city. The way this town feeds on music has pushed me to become a better writer/singer, to become a greater student of other people's artistry and it's also called out personal confidence in a city that can be very competitive.

StSL – A song of yours that I really enjoy is “Charmed Life”. Can you share a bit about the story behind that song?

JW – A friend and I were discussing very normal 20-something life questions and quandaries, along with some heavy hardships we'd both recently had in our lives. Looking around at the world, so much of it has felt as though it's been in chaos. But amidst the chaos, there is still the chance to be thankful for breath, for relationships, for what we DO have... and that's what the song is about: honestly remaining grateful and present.

StSL – What have you been listening to lately?

JW – Today? Monsters Of Folk (supergroup made up of Yim Yames, M. Ward, Connor Oberst, and Mike Mogis), Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, J. Tillman.

Visit JoyWilliams.com for more info and check back here tomorrow for part two!

AOTW / Owl City

I haven't spent a lot of time with electronic music, but I'm certainly really intrigued by it. I recently picked up my first Owl City album, and I think it's brilliant! Great songwriting, completely addictive melodies, and simply fun to listen to. Even if you're not a fan of the electronic thing, you should still check this one out. It's a great introduction. Click here to check out the super cool video for the song, "Fireflies", and visit OwlCityMusic.com to learn more about Owl City.

Questions w/ Steven Wesley Guiles (part two)

Here is part two of "Questions" w/ Steven Wesley Guiles. Enjoy the interview and be sure to visit the links at the bottom to learn more about Steven Wesley Guiles.


StSL – I know you love songwriting process, so let’s touch on that a bit. Lyrics or music first? Do you have a certain environment you prefer to write in? Where do you draw inspiration from?

SWG – I do love songwriting! Sometimes the process has been painful and slow, but I've learned a lot since I started writing my own songs.

Lyrics or music? Both. Lately I've been coming up with lyrical ideas more often because it really helps in creating the flow and feel of the melody, but I've just as often picked up a guitar and started strumming and then sang whatever came to my head. I guess I'd say that I rarely write an entire piece of music first and THEN apply lyrics and melody, it usually happens at the same time. I'll start playing a riff or a chord progression that sounds good to me and then I'll just sing something that comes to mind or something I've been thinking of and develop the idea from there. On this new album track 2, As They Please, was written and recorded in one take. I tuned my guitar to a tuning I didn't normally use and I started plucking out a pattern that sounded cool. I turned on Pro Tools and hit record and then just sang whatever came out. That doesn't happen very often, but when it does I accept it as a gift.

I tend to do a lot of my writing in my studio where I can concentrate and focus on the songwriting itself. But I write lyrics and melodies wherever I go. Sometimes I'm at work and I'll just turn on a simple recording program and hum my idea and send it to myself as an email. I used to keep a tape recorder with me at all times so that if an idea came I could record it because I found out that even if I thought a song was amazing, I'd inevitably forget it a few minutes later. I have a really short commute to work, but I'll get ideas in the car and hum them into my phone so I can do more with them later.

Inspiration comes from everywhere. Sermons. Songs. Bits of overheard conversations at the park. From other great songwriters. My interactions with my family, friends, and co-workers. All of them inspire me to write songs. I love Bono's lyric in The Fly "Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief/All kill their inspiration and sing about their grief". I'm sure I've cannibalized and stolen from many different sources to create a song. Sometimes intentionally and sometimes not. Sometimes I'll take a chord progression from a song I really like and then change the key and sing a totally different melody. I try and help inspiration out as much as I can.

StSL – February Artist Writing Month (FAWM.org) is one of the tools you’ve used to stretch your own creativity. What is that program all about?

SWG – FAWM.org is arguably responsible for the release of my solo album. Actually, I have to give about 99% of the credit to Garret Gengler, my producer and mixer for this album. He helped me sort through the mess of songs I wrote for FAWM. But without FAWM I wouldn't have had the songs for Garret to produce.

FAWM was a creative jump start for me. The goal is to try and write fourteen songs in twenty eight days. One song every two days. At first I thought that sounded crazy, but then I'd always heard of bands writing entire albums in a couple of weeks so I figured I'd at least give it a shot. The worst that could happen is I'd have a few new songs. So, participants receive no prize other than the satisfaction of knowing you wrote some new songs. The community aspect of FAWM.ORG is amazing and supportive. It's the reason I continue to participate in it because it's a great supportive environment for all kinds of songwriters. Brand new, first time writers to veteran touring musicians participate in it. People will give you the kind of feedback you'd like. You get out of it what you're willing to put into it. I found that the more I listened and commented on other songwriter's tunes, the more feedback I'd get on mine. Plus, I got lots of great ideas from other songwriters in style and approach.

In 2008 I participated in my first FAWM and wrote twenty two songs. The very first song I wrote for that is going to be the lead track on an upcoming E.P. and easily half of the songs on We Will All Be Lifted are from the songs written in February of 2008. That summer they had another event called 50/90 where you try and write fifty songs in ninety days. Again, I thought it was insane, but I attempted it anyway and found that I wrote fifty songs in about two months. I added songs from that set into the mix of songs on WWABL.

StSL – I really enjoyed visiting your San Dimas Songwriters Showcase last month. How did that come about and what do you hope to accomplish through it?

SWG – I planned the first show as a FAMW Over Party to celebrate with fellow FAWMers the completion of the February Album Writing Month. We had 19 performers each performing 1 or 2 songs in less than three hours. It was awesome and went really well. I then wanted to use that as a jumping off point for future shows at the same venue. I wanted a show that I could easily play at that would take people at all different levels. I know a lot of great musicians so I would have a venue for them to play in and then I wanted to provide a place for people who have never performed before but wanted a safe place to try out their songs.

I hope to continue encouraging the local musicians in the San Dimas and surrounding areas to play live. I guess I'm hoping to create a scene of my own in this area. I think so far it's going quite well. We have a really diverse group of musicians coming out and I hope to see more and more in the future. You can find out more at NewCoolNow.com.

StSL – What are you working on right now and what can we expect in the near future from Steven Wesley Guiles?

SWG – I've been discussing the creation of a music video with several different directors and filmmakers, so watch for that in the next year. I also have a 6 song E.P. that's already completed and mastered that came out of the same sessions I did for the WWABL sessions. It's not a set of reject songs either. It's songs that didn't seem to fit stylistically because they were a little more rock/band style as opposed to the more acoustic/organic nature of the WWABL songs. I'm planning on releasing it in 2010.

Thanks so much to Steven Wesley Guiles for taking the time to talk to us. Please visit the links below to learn more about Steven, and join us back here in two weeks for "Questions" w/ Joy Williams!

Steven's Official Site
Steven on MySpace
New Cool Now Official Site
FAWM.org

Questions w/ Steven Wesley Guiles (part one)

This week's "Questions" interview was originally scheduled for Andrew Belle, but he's still out on the Ten Out of Tenn tour, so we'll catch up with him when he gets back. In the meantime, I thought this would be a great chance to get to know last week's "Artist of the Week", Steven Wesley Guiles, a little better. Steven is a truly unique artist with a passion for his own songwriting and for encouraging creativity in others. Read on to hear about all the different ways he does that, and to get some insight into his own creative process. Here is part one of "Questions" with Steven Wesley Guiles...

StSL – Your new solo album, “We Will All Be Lifted”, was released earlier this year. Talk a bit about the album and what it means to you.

SWG – I guess I'm at that point where I want more focus on hope and grace, but balanced with the reality of the horrible and hard things that also go on in life. I didn't really have a title for this collection of songs, but I had some artwork from my brother Dave that I've wanted to use for years. It's a picture of a little boy holding a car over his head with one hand. The artwork and the songs on the album helped inspire the title for "We Will All Be Lifted". I wanted something that was hopeful.

I think at times we would all like to be lifted out of the hard things we are in or the pain we are experiencing. Sometimes we can be the lifters and sometimes we're the liftees. I think more often than not I've been the liftee. But I hope the pains and hardships I've experienced might be useful or helpful in lifting someone else up at some point.

StSL – My favorite song off the new album has to be “Keep Me Coming Back”. Can you give us a little insight into the meaning behind that song?

SWG – This seems to be a favorite with a lot of people that hear my album. It was written as a love song to my wife. It isn't a typical love song, at least, not a Top 40 type love song. Every year since we've been together (14 years now) I've given her a song for Valentine's Day. This was one of those songs. This was also one of the first songs I recorded after setting up my Pro Tools station in my home studio, so I was having fun with layering vocals and seeing the visual element of recording. I believe this is one of the oldest songs on the album. Most of the others were written this past year.

I guess to answer your original question, the song is about continually coming back to one another. A relationship takes work and effort and perseverance. I think good marriages are based on the willingness of both to work things out and continue to be honest with one another. These lines from the song address that:

Thank you for the break down / Thank you for the rough patch / Thank you for the bleeding / Thank you for the relapse

The fact is that our relationship has had it's share of ups and downs. Add kids into the equation and it can get even more complicated if you don't make conscious decisions about how to keep the relationship connected. And the fact that we're both imperfect people makes us have to work at things constantly. But I love her more now than I ever have and I can be more honest and real with her than anyone. So, this song was born out of that relationship. I think that's why it resonates with so many different people.

StSL – Whether a song is labeled as “Christian” or not, faith and art are certainly often intertwined. How does that dynamic play out for you?

SWG – I try more and more to write music that moves me. My music and the lyrics I write tend to reflect what I believe about life, so yes, my faith and my art are definitely intertwined. King David wrote some amazing songs and poems that really covered a tremendous range of topics and emotions. I like to think that I try to have that element in how I write. I want to write from an honest place and from a place of one who is seeking humbly after God and who is taking creative risks at the same time.

StSL – A stranger comes up to you and says “Play me the best song ever written”. What do you play?

SWG – "One" by U2 or Louis Armstrong's "It's A Wonderful World".

Favorite album? I really fell in love with Sufjan Stevens' Michigan album. Love it. Just amazing what he did with the arrangements and melodies. The songs and the music move me deeply.

StSL – Let’s step away from music for a second. What’s your favorite movie quote?

SWG – "This book is my boyfriend" from Ella Enchanted. I was just watching it with my kids and it cracks me up every time. My second favorite quote would have to be something epic from Lord of the Rings or Star Wars.

SSL – You’re not only a prolific songwriter yourself, but a huge advocate of encouraging that creativity in others. Why is that so important to you?

I tend to work well in community. I think music is about community. A shared experience. I think the more I can share creativity with others the more creative I can also be. I'm a teacher so perhaps it's just part of my DNA to be in the process of teaching and learning with others. I've always found that when I share with others I get back. That's not the reason I share, but it's a great byproduct nonetheless.

Visit StevenWesleyGuiles.com for more info and check back here tomorrow for part two!

AOTW / Works Progress Administration

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) is essentially a super group comprised at it’s core of Sean Watkins (Fiction Family, Nickel Creek), Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket), and Luke Bulla (Kentucky Thunder, Jerry Douglas Band). On top of that is a rotating group of musical legends including Sara Watkins, Greg Leisz, Pete Thomas, Benmont Tench, and Davey Faragher. The creativity and musical prowess behind this band is just unfathomable, yet their debut album is perfectly focused on delivering great collective songs and not on showcasing any individual player. The other unbelievable reality of this band is that, despite the industry experience and power within, they are completely independent. That means it’s up to US to spread the word! And, believe me, the word is worth spreading.

Their debut album is available now and I can’t recommend it enough. Check out the video below to meet the band and be sure to visit WPAMusic.com to learn more about Works Progress Administration.