When you’re young, says 76-year-old singer/songwriter T Bone Burnett, everything in life is a mystery. As you get older, things get clearer and simpler. Nevertheless, for Burnett, who has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, and Brandi Carlile throughout his illustrious career, even at a young age he says he was “audio-oriented.” He knew early on that he loved sound more than anything. More than painting, more than mathematics. That much was clear.
Read MoreLenny Kravitz‘s brand new single, “Human,” begins with a rattle. And either by choice or by divine intervention (or maybe both), it’s the perfect opening. The rattle, if considering the new track philosophically, can be thought of as a soul-stirring awakening. The jolt of bones, the spark of a spirit inside. A rattle, too, is almost always a person’s first toy, doubling also as our first musical instrument.
Read MoreWhen you’re a rock legend, chances are you have some harrowing experiences to share. Pearl Jam’s lead guitarist Mike McCready not only has stories to tell but also is ready to tell them in a new way. The Seattle-born artist has been playing his instrument since he was 12 years old, starting around 1979. From there, he saw the rise of the Pacific Northwest grunge rock scene and witnessed some of his closest friends and musical cohorts die as the result of fame and drug abuse. He’s since come out the other side, surviving his own health issues and struggles with addiction, to become a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. Now, McCready says, he’s working on a script and soundtrack for a new rock opera that will tell the stories of his city and display the range of emotions many encountered on their paths to fame.
Read MoreTaking a mental health break in Arizona’s Santa Catalina Mountains a couple years ago may have saved actor/pop star Kevin Quinn’s life. At least, his creative one. For Quinn, 26, who auditioned for American Idol just two weeks after his 15th birthday and rose to fame thanks to his work as an actor on the Disney Channel, it was a chance to get out of the public spotlight and change and reframe his future.
While checked into a facility in Arizona, Quinn says he was able to wake up free of professional responsibility, go for jogs, take in the air and witness the majesty of the mountains. Now, that recent refresh has helped him write his new EP Real Me, which is out Friday (January 19).
Read MoreFor the Japanese-born Renaissance man Yoshiki, risk is an essential aspect of his creativity. The piano player, kimono designer (highlighted at Paris Fashion Week), Golden Globes theme composer — and more — knows that to achieve anything, to make any kind of unique mark, one needs to find new ground. Explore new territory, both inwardly and outwardly. That’s the recipe, if there is one, to success. And Yoshiki is continuing to test that important maxim. This fall, he made his directorial debut with the music documentary, Yoshiki: Under The Sky, which also features the likes of St. Vincent and the Chainsmokers. He then held performances in honor of the doc in New York, L.A., London and Tokyo in a matter of days. There will be no resting on laurels.
Read MoreOn Friday (November 10), when the recent Grammy nominees were announced, Americana star Allison Russell was out for a jog. And that was a good thing, she says, because if she had been hyper-aware of the nominations, she may have driven herself mad with anticipation.
Of course, Russell, whose debut solo album, Outside Child, was also nominated for multiple Grammy awards two years ago, and who has garnered other nominations since then, is no stranger to accolades these days. Even if there was a time earlier in her life when she never thought she’d see it.
Read MoreFor Eric Burton, the lead singer of the Austin, Texas-born soul rock band the Black Pumas, writing songs is like praying. This idea makes sense given that Burton first fell in love with music in church as a young person. But in another way, for the celestially talented singer, making music is as personal as it can get. While that can mean his life can be fodder for content, more accurately for Burton, it’s about connecting to that granular thing called self.
In today’s era of constant stimuli, digitally or otherwise, there can be an immense push for individuals to be followers, whether on social media, as sports fans, or as consumers of celebrity culture. But the real job—and this is something Burton knows keenly—is to connect with yourself in a clear and specific, even laser-like manner. How do you feel about a given subject? And then, how do you feel about how you feel about it? For Burton, being closely and deeply connected to himself is the impetus for his songs. And all of this can be felt and heard on his band’s new LP, Chronicles of a Diamond, out Friday (October 27).
Read MoreLes Claypool remembers being 14 years old and in algebra class. Behind him was another guy, a friend who often had guitar magazines. Claypool’s compatriot would thumb through the pages and show him pictures. That same classmate used to sell Claypool weed, too, as a matter of fact. For Claypool, who was first exposed to music by his mother’s records (including Abbey Road) and the AM radio, the rock rags were an early source of contemporary music exposure. “Claypool, check it out,” his friend would say. “This is the guitar I’m going to get, man!”
The guy also wanted Claypool to sing in his band since he was known to hum Led Zeppelin and other rock tunes under his breath. But Claypool didn’t join the guy’s band. Instead, he found another band that needed a bass player, not a singer. It wasn’t the last time Claypool would miss out on being in a project that included his classmate—Kirk Hammett. Later, Claypool would try out for Metallica, but it wasn’t a musical fit. Nevertheless, Claypool has enjoyed an acclaimed career in the art form. It’s one that’s celebrated in a new box set of solo music, Adverse Yaw: The Prawn Song Years Box Set, out February 9.
Read MoreTo many, songwriter and performer Valerie June is a source of light. But the job, even for June, is not easy. She says she tends to wake up in the morning feeling grumpy. Then there is the possibility for sadness or depression when considering the wars abroad, hate at home, and the crumbling stability of the environment. But that’s why June loves the word “practice.” In order to stay light in times of darkness or up when the heaviness wants to get her down, June keeps to her practice of mindfulness— whether it’s writing music or poetry, collaborating with others, or reminding herself that she is enough. Heck, even Bob Dylan is a fan of June. So, she must be doing something right! All of this is woven into her new book, Light Beams: A Workbook for Being Your Badass Self, a mindfulness tome that is out now on the heels of June’s latest musical releases.
Read MoreGrowing up, Jenny Lewis wanted to be a rapper. Born into a musical family, with parents who were musicians and vaudeville performers, Lewis found music early on. “[It] was the family hustle,” she tells American Songwriter.
Lewis was discovered at three years old by a talent agent who saw her in a restaurant. Then, it was Lewis’ charisma and acting ability that became the family hustle. But at ten years old, she began writing raps and then poetry. She liked words and lyrics. She got a Casio keyboard next and started plunking away on that. As a teenager, she got an acoustic guitar and learned a few chords from a Beatles songbook.
Today, Lewis is a beloved indie rocker and she’s currently on tour with her group The Postal Service, which is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their iconic LP, Give Up. For Lewis, who recently played Madison Square Garden as part of the trek, the tour is the culmination of a life of work.
Read MoreKetch Secor knows what it’s like to pass through your town. The frontman for the platinum-selling band Old Crow Medicine Show has been doing it now for a quarter-century. Yes, Secor has long been on the road, bringing his rollicking blend of old-time and rock ‘n’ roll music to fans all around the country and beyond.
Old Crow, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023, released its latest LP, Jubilee, on August 25. With so much time and experience, Secor knows what it feels like to travel down those same roads, and see those same tall mountains or rushing streams. Yet he’s older now. The country is older, too. So Secor muses on all of this, and inevitably it seeps into the songs and his musical mission.
Read MoreWhen country star Scotty McCreery was 15 years old, before he broke through as the winner of season 10 of American Idol thanks to his smooth country singing voice, his parents forged his name on an application to a hyper-local singing competition, Clayton Idol, in his home state of North Carolina. Perhaps to no one’s surprise, the teenage McCreery won that competition, even if he didn’t originally want to participate, due to nerves and stage freight. Thankfully, though, for him, his parents were supportive of his talents. So much so that they pushed him past what he thought his limits were. Not long after winning Clayton Idol, a 16-year-old McCreery won American Idol, the second youngest ever to do so. Now, the platinum- and gold-selling recording artist and songwriter, who released his latest single this month, “Cab in a Solo,” is at the top of his game. But it took a little push.
Read MoreWhen someone sits down to write a new song, much can go through their mind. Many, hoping to write a hit track that the world enjoys, think about that very fact. They wonder something like, How can I write the most popular song ever? But this aim is folly, of course. The real—and only—way to write something that resonates with people is to write something that resonates with a single person. Namely, yourself. For the Kentucky-born songwriter and performer Tyler Booth, who is experiencing a moment of late, that was his chosen route. Now, Booth is set to release his newest EP, Keep It Real, on Friday (September 15). It’s a record that is both of him and boundary-pushing. Just as it should be.
Read MoreIt’s the peak of the summer. But Jason Preston, the young point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers, wakes up at 4.45am. At a time when other 24-year-olds are sleeping in – or still out on the town – Preston is stretching. Then he has some breakfast – nothing decadent – a meal to carry him through his upcoming morning workout. It doesn’t end there, though. Preston has a full day ahead, then it’s early to bed all over again. Such is the life of a young player trying to make an impact in the NBA.
Read MoreTreetop-touching vocalist Josh Kiszka says the new album that he and his Greta Van Fleet bandmates have put together, Starcatcher, had less to do with tracking and more to do with transcendence. In other words, he says, the album seemed simply to discover itself as he and his compatriots listened. To keep up with it, the musicians harbored an open mind and a taste for the essential aspects of each song, from the bones of the compositions to the theories behind the lyrics. It was a metaphysical trip as much as a musical one.
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