With their sophomore album – written and recorded before Covid lockdown – finally released to the world, Kelley Deal and Mike Montgomery discuss the advantages of delaying the album by a few years and the creative packaging that makes the album special and unique.

During the pandemic, John Schmersal took stock of all the Brainiac demos and unreleased tracks he had been collecting since the band’s untimely end in 1997. The latest, and perhaps last, batch of songs have recently been released as The Predator Nominate EP. Schmersal discuss the release and the impetus behind upcoming Brainiac live shows.

A silver lining to lockdown was the ability to have access to a studio. We Are Scientists took advantage by recording songs for two albums, 2021’s Huffy and the brand new release, Lobes. Singer/guitarist Keith Murray shares how the downtime gave the band a chance to experiment.

As a child, Blur drummer Dave Rowntree would spin the dial on his longwave radio and listen to exotic music from all corners of the world. On his debut solo album, Rowntree envisioned his songs as the type that someone might find while exploring the radio.

Shiner frontman, and Third Gear Scratch podcast host, Allen Epley discusses his first solo album, Everything, released 30 years into his career as well as the role the pandemic had on his creativity.

After releasing 10 albums since 2004, Micah P. Hinson found himself at a critical juncture where stepping away from music seemed to be a viable option. With a new champion in his corner, a budding new relationship providing inspiration, and a move from Texas to Spain, Hinson’s now excited for the next chapter in his musical career.

Life has been a whirlwind for The Backseat Lovers whose members are in their early 20s. Josh Harmon, Jonas Swanson and KJ Ward reflect on the year that saw the band release their sophomore album, play festival stages, and perform on multiple television talk shows.

In this in-depth interview, Bob Holmes, Pat Irwin, and Jonathan Gregg of SUSS share how they developed their ambient country sound and the thinking behind compiling four EPs for a new, self-titled double album.

Singer/songwriter/actress Alison Sudol’s new album, Still Come the Night, addresses the emotions tied with love and loss and does so in an unflinching manner.

Though Samira Winter was just a toddler in the early ’90s, her newest album, What Kind of Blue Are You?, with shimmering guitars and dreamy vocals, sounds like the shoegazing movement led by My Bloody Valentine. Winter talks about her fascination with ’90s music, the impact of moving to L.A., and how producer Joo Joo Ashworth helped bring her vision to life.

“I think my job is to make people cry or hold each other or laugh or feel something they were holding in and were afraid to feel,” Glen Phillips says. His new album, There Is So Much Here, accomplishes these goals and more. The on-again, off-again Toad the Wet Sprocket singer talks in-depth about his solo career and how he kept his songwriting sharp during the pandemic.

Belgium’s Brutus has returned with Unison Life, an album that incorporates Bjork-like vocals into the kind of post-rock music that often is presented as instrumentals. Drummer/vocalist Stefanie Mannaerts and bassist Peter Mulders discuss the album’s journey, teenage favorites, and the rare mistake on stage.

a-ha guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savory reflects on the band’s 40-year-career, the overnight success of “Take On Me,” and the band’s newly-released eleventh album, True North.

Songwriter Brooke Annibale talks about her mental wellbeing journey and how it influenced the songs on her fourth album, Better By Now.

Billy Duffy of The Cult checks in on the eve of the band’s new album, Under the Midnight Sun, to share his thoughts on his lengthy career, meeting audience expectations, the influence his band has had on music, and splitting time between L.A. and the UK.

Singer/songwriter Derek Hoke shares thoughts about the Nashville music scene, maturing as a songwriter, his new album Electric Mountain, and hosting $2 Tuesday at The 5 Spot for over a decade.

The long-awaited debut full length by LA’s Dear Boy is a Brit pop fan’s dream come true. Singer/guitarist Ben Grey shares stories recording the album, discovering punk music, being on an ongoing text thread with Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs) and Tim Booth (James), a memorable (but strange) encounter with Rivers Cuomo and having an unlikely pen pal as a child.

Goon’s founding member Kenny Becker shares how new band members contributed to the band’s latest release, Hour of Green Evening, being creative through both music and art, the joy of making videos with friends, and encountering celebrities in Los Angeles.

Ramesh Srivastava is guardedly optimistic about Voxtrot’s future. Reuniting for the first time since 2010, the Austin-based band has reissued two albums worth of older material (EPs, B-Sides, demos) and has a short tour coming up this fall. If nothing else happens, it will have been worth it but Srivastava envisions more touring and potentially writing new music with his bandmates.

Carré Callaway’s life story may be as interesting and wild as her latest album, Couples Only, released under the Queen Kwong moniker. Callaway discusses both in this in-depth conversation.

There’s a chance The Deslondes extended hiatus may have lasted longer had John James Tourville (fiddle/pedal steel) not proposed getting the band back together during the pandemic. Riley Downing (vocals/guitar) talks about the band’s reunion, it’s new album, Ways & Means, life on the road and more.

Thanks to support from the PRS Foundation and Help Musicians, UK artist Pit Pony was afforded the opportunity to record it’s blistering, melodic-punk debut, World To Me, during an otherwise daunting time in world history. Jackie Purver, Garth Purver, and Andrew Jones discuss how living in Newcastle helps shape the band’s sound.

Spacey Jane’s sophomore album, Here Comes Everybody, follows close on the heels of the Australian band’s debut which came out in June 2020. Singer Caleb Harper talks lyrical inspirations, mental wellbeing, and seeking Jeff Tweedy’s approval on the album title.

With a sound rooted in folky and dreamy psychedelic-pop, Haunted Summer’s third album, Whole, proves you can judge a band by it’s name. We catch up with wife-and-husband duo Bridgette Moody and John Seasons as they happily return to the touring lifestyle they put on hold for the last two years.

After experiencing a whirlwind career-starting single, “No Roots,” (which currently has been streamed over 1 billion times worldwide), Alice Merton is learning to slow down and enjoy whatever life throws at her. Her new album, S.I.D.E.S., is the result of purging two years worth of dark thoughts and emotions as a form of therapy.

With the listener in mind, progressive jam band Dopapod put a lot of thought into how they want the audience to experience their new album. From the sequencing of the songs, to the album artwork, to the board game that is part of the vinyl package, everything was carefully calculated. Eli Winderman talks about the album, touring and more.

Isaac Gibson reflects on how living in a small mountain town in Virginia helps shape 49 Winchester’s sound on the band’s new album, Fortune Favors the Bold and how to feel a sense of “home” when playing in big cities.

Following the release of his fifth solo album, The Social Animals, former Verbena bassist Duquette Johnston shares what it was like working with John Agnello, talks about balancing priorities, and shines the light on Birmingham, Alabama.

After drugs and alcohol nearly derailed Nashville’s Joshua Hedley’s career, the now-sober singer/songwriter is back with an album paying homage to the ’90s country music he grew up listening to.

Pat Graham of Philadelphia’s Big Nothing shares how the band approached writing and recording Dog Hours in the midst of the pandemic and the never-ending quest he’s on to write the perfect pop song.

What do you get when you mix the outlaw country songwriter/producer Shooter Jennings with a predominant name in the hip-hop world, Yelawolf? Probably not what you’d expect. Sometimes Y delivers a modern rock album with influences from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Jennings and Yelawolf share with us how they came together and why two opposites attract.

Racking up honors and accolades in the UK with their explosive brand of guitar-driven rock, The Mysterines now has its sights set on the U.S. Singer Lia Metcalfe and drummer Paul Crilly discuss making the debut album, Reeling, influences, festival lineups and “pinch me” moments.

Constant change has been the norm for Oh Hiroshima since their formation in 2017. Paired down to a duo in early 2021, brothers Jakob Hemström and Oskar Nilsson have challenged the post-rock stereotypes on their fourth album, Myriad and delivered a stunning cinematic masterpiece.

When Ben Bridwell says he never meant to be a musician, that it just happened, he sells it with conviction. Thankfully, things worked out the way they did as Band of Horses’ sixth album, Things Are Great, is as honest and unflinching as the band has ever been. Learn about the making of the album, life in South Carolina, and why Band of Horses tries to never phone in a live performance.

Known for their technical and complex death metal, Blood Incantation’s new, all-instrumental, ambient release, Timewave Zero, is a palate cleanser that owes a lot to ’60s and ’70s influences, according to singer/guitarist Paul Riedl.

Lo Moon is back with a new album, A Modern Life, on a new label, Thirty Tigers. We catch up with Matt Lowell who talks about influences, being in it for the long haul, and making low-budget videos,

Brothers Parker James and Caden Shea weren’t even a twinkle in their parents eyes during the ’90s grunge era, but hearing the music around the house while growing up was directly responsible for their band’s nostalgic sound.

Perhaps a surprise artist on a label known for its Americana and Roots Rock roster, Boulevards brings a lifetime of funk and cinematic soul to his New West Records debut, Electric Cowboy: Born in Carolina Mud and the results are as vibrant and colorful as the album cover.

With his sights on composing for TV and film, Ryan Key’s newest EP, Everything Except Desire, is a warm and complex calling card showcasing the songwriter’s ability to set a cinematic tone through the ebbs and flows of his electronic-based music.

Isaac Flynn’s talent of writing memorable hooks is on full display on Hembree’s new album, It’s a Dream! Flynn shares how he’s spent the last two years honing his craft not only in his new band but when collaborating with other songwriters.

Legendary guitarist Steve Stevens joined The String Revolution on a special cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” to honor guitar hero Randy Rhoads’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Stevens talks about his involvement with the project, his early days in NYC, touring with Journey and more.

When he’s not palling around with Dale Earnhardt Jr, Bobby Markos is playing bass with the shoegazing power trio Cloakroom. A decade into their existence, Cloakroom has just released the stunning Dissolution Wave which will undoubtedly appeal to Hum, Failure, Swervedriver and Nothing fans.

The Dollyrots have cleared out their closet with the release of Down the Rabbit Hole featuring 20 years worth of unreleased tracks, demos, B-sides and covers. Kelly Ogden and Luis Cabezas share how the pandemic had some silver linings as they balance being in a punk-rock band with being parents.

Despite the ongoing global pandemic, German post-rock band There’s A Light managed to not only record a new album in 2021 but signed a deal with Napalm Records for worldwide distribution. Drummer Jan Lüftner talks about the album’s theme, shooting videos and the music that inspired him in 2021.

With the Spirit of the South tour, originally scheduled for 2020, postponed until 2021, The Wild Feathers used the down time to record it’s fourth full-length, Alvarado, and score a deal with New West Records. Singer/guitarist Ricky Young talks about recording the album and touring with big names.

While we all wish for new music from The Wrens, things are a bit complicated these days. But, half of the songs on Aeon Station’s new album, Observatory, were written by Kevin Whelan for The Wrens so fans should savor the moment that has been 18 years in the making.

After taking a 17-year-break, Failure returned in 2014 and with the release of Wild Type Droid, the third album since reuniting, the band has now equaled the output from the first part of their career. Drummer Kellii Scott checks in to talk about the new album, the songwriting process, and why saying “yes” is his guiding force in life.

Zakk Wylde talks about the ballads on the Black Label Society’s eleventh album, Doom Crew Inc., the artists that influenced his songwriting, having fun while shooting videos and who he wants to induct him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Earlier this month, Palm Ghosts released it’s second album of 2021, The Lost Frequency. Joseph Lekkas shares the story behind both albums, discusses the ’80s influence found in the band’s music, and reveals what it will take to feel like the band has “made it”.

Fresh off a late 2019 release, The Darkness return with more stadium-ready hard rock on Motorheart. Guitarist Dan Hawkins discusses what it’s like to return to playing shows, how the band has stayed relevant for 20 years, ’80s references that can be found throughout the album and 2022 tour plans.