Questions w/ Jeremy Casella (part one)

Singer/songwriter Jeremy Casella has been making great music for more than ten years and has released a trio of thoroughly enjoyable studio albums. He's also a family man and a card-carrying member of the mighty Square Peg Alliance. With new material on the horizon, 2010 looks to be a great year for Jeremy, and he's taken some time to tell us about it. Here is part one of Questions w/ Jeremy Casella...

StSL – It’s been a couple years since your last album, Recovery, was released, and I know you’ve been hard at work on some new music. What can you tell us about that?

Jeremy – I’ve been writing and working on a lot of new material these past couple years in addition to touring quite a bit last Fall. I’m hitting it hard again this Spring and planning on releasing an EP this May. Sessions for that will start in March and I couldn’t be more thrilled!

The delay in releasing a new project since Recovery came from a lot of life changes for my family—we bought a 110 year old house and renovated it, I got involved with helping to get a church plant off the ground and then we had our second child last Fall. We’ve been super busy building our life and home…but things have finally settled in again and my focus is now on recording the new material.

StSL – Have you been seeing any overarching themes in your new material?

Jeremy – Joy, friendship and resurrection are some themes I’ve noticed running through my new songs. After Recovery, writing songs has started to feel like painting to me—or at least there’s a visual thing I’m trying to communicate or connect with.

I want the music to be like a canvas that stretches out in front of you and shows you something gorgeous that you get absorbed into. I love the feeling that music gives me when it deeply moves me both lyrically and musically. It may sound lofty – and it looks funny having even typed all that out! But it’s really what I’m shooting for.

StSL – One of my favorite songs of yours is Distress Signal. Can you share the story behind that song?

Jeremy – It’s a plea to a loved one to let down their guard and actually deal with a broken relationship rather than fake it and talk about the weather. It’s also sort of a reflection on forgiveness and what it looks like.

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

Jeremy – Man. How do I answer this?! I’ll pick one of my favorites because there are so many…God Only Knows from Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys.

StSL – How challenging has it been for you to balance your professional life with being a husband and a father?

Jeremy – Great question. It’s been a challenge for sure. Thankfully my wife is behind me 100% and really gets what it is that I do for a living. We’ve got a real team approach to things where we rely on each other for support and are always trying to sharpen our schedules so that we don’t neglect the important things like time with each other, our children and our friends. We don’t always get it right but we’re learning. My biggest challenge personally is the all the traveling for touring. When things are really busy it’s a constant state of going and not really resting too much. But then the touring season ends and everything comes to a halt.

It’s a bit crazy but we’re used to it after all these years. I suspect it’s the same for other families too—just trying to make everything go. A lot of prayer helps…but truly my wife is awesome. She’s the backbone of our home life especially when I’m traveling a lot.

Be sure to check out JeremyCasella.com for more info and join us right here tomorrow for part two!

The Making of Poison & Wine

Being the huge fan of The Civil Wars that I am, here's a cool little mid-week treat for you. This is a new video for their simply amazing single, "Poison & Wine", that features behind the scenes footage of the recording process. Enjoy!


Video produced & directed by Sam Ashworth. Audio produced by Charlie Peacock, recorded & mixed by Richie Biggs & mastered by Jim Demain. All footage recorded in April of 2009 at The Art House in Nashville, TN.

AOTW / Matt Thien

Singer/songwriter Matt Thien writes great catchy songs with a common thread of hope. His upcoming new album, "10 Songs 10 Days Africa", was written during his travels in Kenya and is intended to help raise money to provide food, clean water, shelter, and education to over 100 orphans and staff at the Tumaini Mission Center in Nakuru, Kenya.

Paste Uses Music to Help in Haiti

The amount of relief needed in Haiti is just beyond comprehension and there are a ton of great organizations you can give to in order to provide support. Check out how Paste Magazine is using music as a tool to be a part of the solution. Please remember the people of Haiti in your prayers, and give as generously as you can.

Like so many others, Paste has been moved by the tragedy facing the survivors of the Haitian earthquake. We spread the word to many of the musicians we work with via the magazine about launching Songs for Haiti. It’s a way to raise money and keep awareness high by offering free MP3s to everyone who donates to help Haiti (through Songs for Haiti or, indeed, any charity). Already, more than 200 artists have donated 250+ songs. We don’t think people should donate to the relief efforts in Haiti just to get a reward. But this gives Paste and artists a way to help, using the thing we’re most passionate about—music.

-from PasteMagazine.com

Questions w/ Rachael Cantu (part two)

Here is part two of "Questions" w/ Rachael Cantu. Be sure to visit the links at the bottom to learn more about Rachael and purchase her new album, "Far and Wide". And remember, if you're in the SoCal area, you can catch her live tonight (1/19) at The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles!

StSL – Like me, you’re a Southern California native. I hear a lot of criticism about the L.A. music scene, particularly that it’s too competitive and doesn’t have enough of a sense of unity. What has your experience been like working as an artist in that area?

Rachael – I would have to agree with that to a point. I lived in Boston for almost 4 years and ALWAYS felt a sense of community with bands and players there. Everyone just wanted to play. Whether they were amazing violinists, incredible guitarists, etc etc etc...they didn't want anymore than the opportunity to play. I met some very gracious and talented musicians over there. Luckily, I've met a good handful of musicians like that out here. Funny enough, most of them are Berklee School of Music grads (a music school in Boston).

StSL – I’ve said before on this site that I believe the balance is shifting to where great music is coming more consistently from the independent world than from the labels. What have you found to be the drawbacks or the advantages of being an independent artist?

Rachael – There are many benefits, such as creative control, financial control, being your own boss, etc. But, I do understand why people have labels. It's A LOT of work to run your own business. Usually a label will issue some tour support, which really helps. Touring is REALLY expensive and it's not easy to come up with that $ on your own. Which is a huge reason I haven't toured outside of the states just yet. People don't realize how expensive it is to tour outside of your own country. That's where the support of the fans come in. Hopefully people BUY your record so that you can continue recording, touring, making merchandise, etc. I seem to always end up talking about money when this question is asked, and that bothers me. It's all worth it when someone likes the record or the live performance. I will continue to work really hard and get out there for my fans, as long as they're out there.

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

Rachael – "Do you wanna know a secret that I didn't tell anybody ever? You know how ducks fly home in a V? It's like a v-shape when they get home? I was walking my dog and I looked up and there's this big V above me, there's all these ducks flying back to their home. And right when they flew above me, I saw 'em and, they crashed into a big house! The whole V! And then, they hit the ground, and they just kinda curled up. You ever see that? Have you ever seen a mistake in nature? Have you ever seen an animal make a mistake?" - All The Real Girls

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

Rachael – I'm not good at this game, haha.

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

Rachael – Right now the big focus is on this new record (Far and Wide). I am so proud of it and ready to share it with the world. I know it's going to be a grass roots effort, but I'm ready for it. I just want everyone to have the opportunity to hear this record. I want to tour, tour, tour, keep writing, keep challenging myself to do more and more. I want to be doing music, successfully, for years to come. And, I don't think that's too grand of an idea.

Thanks so much to Rachael for talking with us! Check out the links below and join us right back here in two weeks for another installment of "Questions".

Rachael's Official Site
Rachael on MySpace
Rachael on iTunes

Questions w/ Rachael Cantu (part one)

Back in November, I introduced you to Southern California based singer/songwriter Rachael Cantu. Her brand new album, "Far And Wide", had just been released and now she's off and running for a successful 2010 including several tour dates this spring with BB King. If you're in the SoCal area, you can catch her tomorrow night (1/19) at The Hotel Cafe in LA. I've been enjoying the heck out of her new album, and I'm excited to bring you part one of "Questions" w/ Rachael Cantu...

StSL – Thanks for joining us, Rachael! Your second studio album was just released in November. What can you tell us about “Far and Wide”?

Rachael – Far and Wide was a passion project. It took quite awhile to get things just right so that I was even able to step into the studio. I wasn't on a label anymore, had to figure out my own legal things, who I want to work with, etc. All in all it ended up being such a good feeling, good vibing record, all around. I really lucked out by working with such amazing people on this record.

StSL – What is your favorite song off “Far and Wide” and why?

Rachael – I am so proud to say that every song on this record is my favorite song. There is not one song that I feel bothered to play live or think could have been recorded better. All these songs came from such an honest place and I'm really proud of the songs on "Far and Wide".

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

Rachael – There is a time in many a young persons life when the good ol' creditors start calling because you made some poor choices at a young age. Maybe you were offered 5 credit cards at the age of 18...and you took them, maybe your limit was $8,000 on one of the cards (because you added up your household income including your parents income, also), maybe you bought the most expensive guitar and amp that you could on a credit card when you were young and stupid. Only one of these things happened to me, but I know a ton of these stories. "They come from all over the land, collecting the thieves and their hands" - that's a reference to creditors. So, from that came a sense of, "what am I doing?? I've got to get up and do something!" And thankfully, a really fun song came out of it!

StSL – You’ve had the opportunity to tour with some great artists such as Tegan & Sara, Pat Benatar, and the legendary B.B. King. Are there any stand-out experiences you can share from those shows?

Rachael – Oh, yes, many! Being hugged and thanked by BB King, himself, on stage was a HUGE one...pumping my fist in the air and singing loudly along with the crowd to every Pat Benatar song , while sipping on a special cocktail created by and offered to me by Spyder himself (don't worry, it was just beer, ice and lemons, but it was delicious!)...sharing a van and many memories with my good pals Tegan and Sara and their crew...There are just too many to list, but those are a few experiences that have really stuck with me.

StSL – Who would you count as some of your influences?

Rachael – Bjork, Radiohead, Tom Waits, Nina Simone, Harry Nilsson and many more.

Head on over to MySpace.com/RachaelCantu to learn more and be sure to check back right here tomorrow for part two!

AOTW - Trent Dabbs

Singer/songwriter and Ten Out of Tenn founder, Trent Dabbs, writes music that is just purely enjoyable. Insightful lyrics, addictive melodies, and the voice to carry both perfectly. His brand new album, "Your Side Now", was just released this week and I can honestly say it has completely monopolized my iPod! It's one of those albums where your skip button gets a break because there literally isn't a single forgettable song in the bunch. You can hear for yourself by checking out the official music video for my favorite track, "Inside These Lines", below. Then head on over to iTunes to get the whole album. Visit www.TrentDabbs.com for more info and keep an eye out right here in February when Trent also joins us for a "Questions" interview!


Music video by Trent Dabbs performing Inside These Lines, Becky Fluke [Video Director], Kristen Dabbs [Video Producer] (C) 2009 Ready Set Records

StSL Ten Favorites of 2009

2009 was a great year for new music, which in turn made it a great year to start up StSL. After lots of careful consideration and listening, ten albums/E.P.s stood out as my favorites of the year. Here they are (in no particular order)...

The Civil Wars - Poison & Wine E.P.

Take a few minutes to look through past StSL posts, and it will quickly become obvious that I'm a huge fan of The Civil Wars. In their first year together, John Paul White and Joy Williams have already turned out an impressive collection of brilliant songs. This is E.P., short though it may be, is a great representation and an exciting taste of what the future holds for The Civil Wars. Favorite Song: Poison & Wine

Derek Webb - Stockholm Syndrome

Call him controversial if you must, but you can't deny one simple truth about Derek Webb: he is a true artist. Stockholm Syndrome was a significant departure musically, yet it maintained the signature Webb style. That's hard a line to walk and a big achievement. There's never anything held back in Derek's ever-progressing songwriting, and that's what I love most about this album. Favorite Song: Heaven

Tyrone Wells - Remain

As I type this I'm watching a TV show with Tyrone playing in the background. No joke! I've known Tyrone for a long time and watching him grow and become more and more successful has been awesome. Remain is easily his best album to date and the doors just keep on opening. Favorite Song: In Between The Lines

The Swell Season - Strict Joy

I had a chance to see The Swell Season live a couple months ago, and it was easily one of the best shows ever. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are so natural and have such an obvious love of music. Strict Joy is a perfect expression of that, and a collection of simply great songs. Favorite Song: Low Rising

Eric Peters - Chrome

Chrome is probably the best representation yet of the vulnerability in Eric's songwriting. That kind of honesty lends itself to great music and also made for one of my favorite interviews of the year. Favorite Song: I Had To Tell You

Joy Williams - Songs From This / Songs From That

This double E.P. was pretty much all that came out of my iPod for quite some time. Joy is both a great songwriter and one of the sweetest voices you'll ever hear. Favorite Song: Golden Thread

Phil Wickham - Heaven & Earth

Phil has become a big favorite of mine over the past few years, and Heaven & Earth is another collection of great songs. The passion and control in his voice is just undeniably impressive. Favorite Song: Heaven Song

Sandra McCracken - Live Under Lights and Wires

Sandra McCracken playing her beautifully intimate songs in the context of a house show (her own house, no less) is just a perfect fit. I'm a fan of live albums, and this one still stands out as one of the very best. Favorite Song: The Tie That Binds

Brandi Carlile - Give Up The Ghost

I love Brandi's gritty yet delicate americana style, and Giving Up The Ghost keeps the trend going perfectly. Favorite Song: Dreams

Ingrid Michaelson - Everybody

This album is so addictive and so catchy. Everyone and their mother has referred to Ingrid as quirky, but it really is an accurate description. She has both depth and whimsy, and it makes for songs that you're virtually always in the mood for. Favorite Song: The Chain





Well, there you have it. 2009 definitely brought the music. What were your favorites? Make comment and let us know!

Questions w/ Andrew Osenga (part four)

Here is part four of "Questions" w/ Andrew Osenga. How many installments are necessary before this turns into a "saga"? Oh well. Enjoy the interview and be sure to visit the links at the bottom to learn more about Andy and to purchase your copy of his new album, "Choosing Sides".

StSL – Let’s talk a bit about your songwriting process. Do you have any specific methods or places you go to for inspiration?

Andrew – I used to write the way I thought artists were supposed to: Late at night, sad, only when the moment hits. Now I think that’s ridiculous. To be great at anything takes commitment. It takes sitting down and aiming at something and working hard until that thing takes shape, or as often as not, turns into something better.

These days I find I write best when I have something in mind, some sort of project. Where the song is going to be heard helps me know what I’m trying to write. Is it a song for me? I’ve got four records I’d love to make soon, which one is it for? Does it belong in a story arc, is there some scene this needs to fit? Stuff like that. Once I know what I’m writing I can sit down at 9 am, answer my email, make my phone calls, turn off my phone and write til lunch. Also, deadlines don’t hurt!

I wish my process was more romantic, sexier, but it’s really just working. I find I’m rarely inspired when I’m watching TV, but daily inspired when I sit down and just start writing.

StSL – I love songs that are both personal and universal, which is certainly something I find in your songwriting. Is that something you deliberately strive for?

Andrew – Absolutely. “Who’s Going to Ride Your Wild Horses” by U2 came on the radio today and I was again amazed at how that song does this very thing. So personal, so universal. I have no idea what its about and I understand every line. I love that type of song.

StSL – I think darker songs tend to be really beautiful, possibly because it’s often easier to access vulnerability in pain than in happiness. What is your experience like writing about painful themes versus happier ones?

Andrew – Well, honestly, it’s easier. It makes you feel more artsy. But in the long run I worry that it can become a crutch. The first two Counting Crows records where great, but now I’m like, “Adam, cheer up, buddy, it’s ok. Go to bed. Get a dog. Go for a jog!” I think those songs work because they’re a part of the truth of our experience, but they work BEST when they’re in context. Twelve sad songs is hard to listen to. Twelve real songs, about joy and sadness, happiness and grief, how those things coexist, that’s a record I can keep digging on.

I guess, personally, I’m just tired of feeling like a sad sack. I think I was probably dealing with some depression/anxiety when I first started writing and I learned how to use it as a part of my process. Then, however, it started to become definitive of who I was and I realized “I don’t like this guy.” I wasn’t depressed anymore, life wasn’t perfect but I had a few things going for me, and still I just wrote sad songs. WHY?? So I forbade myself from writing sad songs the year of 2008.

It’s a lot more work to sing about joy, for some reason, probably because so many terrible songs have used all these good words and expressions in such inane ways and kind of ruined them. You have to come up with new ways of describing joy, new frames for a new picture. It’s not easy. But I’m thrilled when it happens. And now I feel I’m telling more of a complete story, with lights and darks, and hopefully a thread of peace and hope throughout.

StSL – Finally, there's something I've been dying to ask you about. Last time we talked, you mentioned you were working on a “quite ambitious project about a spaceship”. Can you shed a little more light on that for us?

Andrew – No. But it will be awesome. Time and money, my friend, time and money. That’s what it’s going to take for my magnum opus to achieve liftoff. Maybe this year, who knows?

Huge thanks to Andy for joining us again! A great guy and a great artist. StSL owes him a lot. And, as soon as the news is unveiled about the spaceship project, you better believe you'll hear about it right here! Check out the links below and join us right back here in two weeks when "Questions" returns with Rachael Cantu.

Andrew Osenga Official Site
Andrew on MySpace
Brite Revolution
The Rabbit Room

Questions w/ Andrew Osenga (part three)

Well, it's January 2010, which means StSL is now a whopping six months old! It's hard to believe. I've had so much fun, it feels like I've been doing it forever. Anyhow, when I was just getting started, I took a chance and sent an e-mail to one of my very favorite songwriters, Andrew Osenga, to see if he'd be willing to do an interview. He graciously accepted and thus began the "Questions" interview series! Since then, I've had the chance to interact with several more artists and it's been a wonderful ride. Now it only seems appropriate that we kick off the new year by going back to where it all began. Andy has been hard at work these past six months producing, touring, and even putting out a new album. Amidst it all, he found time to answer some more questions for us. So, I'm really excited to bring you part THREE of "Questions" w/ Andrew Osenga...

StSL – Welcome back, Andy! Thanks so much for talking with us again. What have you been up to since your last interview back in June?

Andrew – Well, it’s been pretty busy. I moved into a new studio space (I no longer share my room with anybody else) and I’ve been writing a ton and produced a couple records. I also did some touring with Jars of Clay, I filled on in guitar for Matt (Odmark) for a few shows then Steve (Mason) for a few shows, and Andrew Peterson’s Christmas tour. Also I just released a new collection of songs called “Choosing Sides”, which is basically the year’s Brite Revolution songs on one disc.

StSL – I can’t resist a good “behind the song” story, so this time I’m going to ask about one of my favorites from "Choosing Sides", “I’m On Your Side”. Can you share that story?

Andrew – It’s about a point that happens in certain relationships where you come up to the place where the other person has put up defenses, places they’ve been hurt before, and trying to love them through it to some sort of healing.

StSL – I’d have to say that 2009 was a good year for new music. What were some of your favorite albums from last year?

Andrew – Man, I wish I had time to listen to more music. I loved the new U2 and that Phoenix record “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”, though the lyrics aren’t great. I think of his voice as an instrument and them as an instrumental-only band and then I love them. Big Bang put out another great one, though I think only people in Sweden know or care. Also Eric Peters “Chrome” is fantastic.

Did that Killers record “Day and Age” come out in 09? That was supremely awesome. OH. And the new Jars record. “Long Fall Back to Earth” Holy Wow, Batman, that record was amazing. I’ve always followed them, they were one of the first bands I got into when I started playing guitar, and this was honestly my favorite thing they’d ever done. For me, it’s the first record where the lyrics are as great as the music. It just connects. It’s so intimate, but so bold. I freaked out over it. Then getting to play it live was just a blast. Such fun songs to play!

StSL – You’ve mentioned, on your blog, that you were looking at doing some seminars on songwriting and the creative process. How did that idea come about?

Andrew – Well, I moved to Nashville to go to college to be an English teacher. I love love love novels and short stories. Hemingway, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Vonnegut, the Russians: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekov. I love that stuff. I could talk about it all day. A few years ago, I noticed that in the studio when I produced records I was talking about the Beatles and U2 and the Beach Boys the same way. I love love love those records, the process, the technologies, the ends AND the means. I love talking about the songs and WHY they work.

Producing or writing with artists I spend a lot of time tearing apart songs the artist thought was finished, or helping them figure out what a song is actually about. We work on tightening the lyric, setting the melody free to go places, being intentional with instrumental passages, all that stuff... It’s my favorite part of the record making process and it’s something that no writer can learn enough about.

Records are only as good as their songs. No amount of clever production can make bad songs into a good record. No one becomes a good artist without good songs. It’s at the heart of everything and it’s something I love to do and I love to talk about. So why not go and talk about it. (And hopefully make a little cash doing so...)

StSL – I posed this question to Andrew Peterson, and I know you’re a fan too, so here goes: Who is your favorite Battlestar Galactica character and why?

Andrew – Baltar. Hands down. So complex, so funny, and so constantly impossible to nail down. And that season he spent as basically a messiah? I know that bugged a lot of people but I thought it was brilliant, and a lesser actor could not have pulled it off. In such a great show that dealt so wonderfully with religion and belief, watching somebody fake his belief until he actually came to believe it himself was, I thought, quite fascinating.

To learn more about Andrew, visit www.AndyOsenga.com or check out parts one and two of his "Questions" interview. Also, be sure to check back right here tomorrow for part four!