This Next Song‘s About - A Songwriter‘s Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

If you don't know Gretchen Peters, I will bet you definitely know some of her songs. From Independence Day (Martina McBride), Cloud #9 (Bryan Adams), On A Bus To St. Cloud (Trisha Yearwood), Rock Steady (Bonnie Raitt)... the list goes on and on. 

So when I interviewed her for the first time (I was lucky enough to do it twice) I was READY. This is probably the interview I am the most proud of, we talked about sexism within the music industry, being an independent artist and finding your own path as a writer. We dig into the origins of one of her songs, "The Boy From Rye" and how it's the heart of her most recent album, Dancing With The Beast.

Note: This interview was originally recorded and published in November 2019.

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For two decades, Gretchen Peters (she/her) has been one of Nashville's most beloved and respected artists. "If Peters never delivers another tune as achingly beautiful as 'On A Bus To St. Cloud,'" People Magazine wrote, "she has already earned herself a spot among country's upper echelon of contemporary composers.” Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in October 2014 by singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, who called her "both a songwriter and a poet (who) sings as beautifully as she writes,” and said her song “The Matador”, "moved me so greatly, I cried from the soles of my feet”, Peters has accumulated accolades as a songwriter for artists as diverse as Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, The Neville Brothers, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Bryan Adams and Faith Hill.

Her 2015 album, ‘Blackbirds’, debuted at #1 on the UK Country chart and in the top 40 UK pop chart, and was awarded International Album of the Year and Song of the Year. In 2015, The Telegraph named her one of the greatest 60 female singer-songwriters of all time. Her latest album, Dancing With The Beast, was released on May 18, 2018. https://gretchenpeters.com  

As we continue the final season of the podcast, Stevie revisits a discussion with artist Esabalu aka Jenn Mundia (she/her) from Season 2. 

This episode really resonated with Stevie as they both shared a story about their dads about their respective name changes. This episode was recorded during the pandemic and originally aired in March 2021. Esabalu talks about her journey to finding her new moniker as EsaBalu, embracing her Kenyan roots and taking time as a musician to process the events of the Black Lives Matter movement through storytelling and songwriting with her single “Say Their Names”. 

They discuss the recording of Esabalu's song and music video Wildfire. 

You should check out the video for Wildfire here and come back to listen to the episode: https://youtu.be/9dnjUCdM21E 

You can also watch the full unedited interview in the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tsnainnercircle  

We also talk about her journey to finding her new moniker as EsaBalu, embracing her Kenyan roots and taking time as a musician to process the events of the Black Lives Matter movement through storytelling and songwriting with her single “Say Their Names”. 

Jenn Mundia is an LA based artist with Kenyan roots and a southern upbringing, currently performing under the pseudonym, "Esabalu". As a graduate of Berklee College of Music, Jenn found herself working on the production and engineering side of the business right out of school but found her way back to stages throughout New York (Saturday Night Live w/ Kacey Musgraves, Jimmy Fallon w/ Bastille and Wallows, and Seth Meyers) and is now taking on the West coast. Jenn is currently breaking major ground in the ad and voice over world in the time of Covid and recently released her debut EP, “Moon”—find it wherever you listen to music.

Check out http://esabalu.com for more updates!

Insta: http://instagram.com/esabalumusic

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KvgJF4TQQ3T4ZRBbdLoDg 

Season 3 is back in February 2nd 2022 with a brand new array of expert guests to help you as a songwriter develop and hone your craft as an artist.

Host, NYC based musician and songwriter Stevie Manns asks the hard questions about being an artist to help you along your artist's journey, level-up your skills to better connect and resonate with fans from the music that you record to the way you present yourself both on and off stage.

Become a patron of This Next Song's About before February 15th to enter a giveaway to receive a Shure MV7 microphone and a 6 month songwriting masterclass from award-winning D.C. based musician Eli Lev. Go to http://patreon.com/thisnextsongsabout

Americana singer-songwriter Kevin Daniel talks about his new album, his new podcast and how to avoid your ex at a party then casually write a song about it, incidentally it's called "Faded Red".

Raised in North Carolina, Brooklyn-based Americana crooner Kevin Daniel is set on making NYC a destination for Nashville sounds. The songwriter and multi-instrumentalist brings southern rock, gospel, and blues to barrooms of Brooklyn and beyond. But Daniel wasn’t always chasing his dreams.

In the winter of 2013, during a dinner party in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Kevin received a phone call from his sister that would change everything. His mother and stepfather, adventure-seekers and amateur pilots, had been flying back from their mountain house in western North Carolina when their plane had crashed, killing both of them. Daniel’s life was turned upside down, his family torn apart and the world forever changed. During his return to North Carolina to help with family business, and while reliving his parent’s lives through photos, essays, and family stories, Kevin wrote over a dozen songs, all fueled by the grief of losing his parents as well as the celebration of the large lives they were known for. From those songs six were chosen to record, including one written specifically for Kevin’s parent’s memorial service.

The result of those recordings was FLY, Kevin Daniel’s inaugural EP. The six-song project was recorded in 2014 in Brooklyn and embodies the depth of Daniel’s emotions during a time of supreme distress. Southern sounds of banjo and country-loving three-part harmonies were backed by rock riffs and pop lyrics, which spoke true to life and the celebration of living. “I always knew I wanted to record my own music, and a life spent being in other people’s bands had prepared me to lead my own, both in the studio and on the stage. It was losing my parents that gave me the kick in the ass to finally do it”, says Daniel.

www.thekevindaniel.com 

A Sofar Sounds favourite across multiple US cities, singer-songwriter and broadway actor Kaylyn Marie talks about her song "Company You Keep", what it was like to be in her first musical - Music City - and the moment she recently realized she was a real New Yorker.

Kaylyn Marie‘s is a multi-genre music maker and performer who grew up throughout the USA and landed in NYC at age 17. As a singer/songwriter, bandleader, and actress her varietal artistry has led to many quirky and exciting opportunities from being an Amish Witch on Lifetime TV to becoming be an alumna of Joe’s Pub’s Working Group to being featured in Steven Spielberg’s “The Post" to becoming a finalist on American Idol XV.

When you catch her solo, expect soulful americana paired with unfeigned storytelling. Audiences have connected her lyrically driven tunes to those of Sara Bareilles and Laura Marling. In 2020, she is releasing her second solo EP “Forget-Me-Not” produced by powerhouse, indie producer, Katie Buchanan.

www.kaylynmariemusic.com 

Listen to Lake Street Dive's Akie Bermiss discuss his song "Space and Time", his sometime-to-be-released science fiction soul opera double album, his children's book, and being an artist in New York City.

Akie Bermiss with his affable disposition, glasses, and healthy do of cascading dreads that drape down to his shoulders, is unabashedly a self-professed nerd to the nth degree. Since early childhood Akie has been an obsessed science fiction aficionado. Yet he does have an artist-friendly façade and has managed to cultivate and live a double-life as a thriving music protégé, pianist, singer/songwriter, composer, arranger and emerging solo artist and member of Lake Street Dive.

Akie is a Brooklyn native raised in a musical household full of jazz and politics fueled by his former- activist mom and dad. He began singing in church, moved it to school for a while, enroute becoming somewhat of a musical chameleon.

www.akiebermissmusic.com 

Have you been thinking about starting a Patreon but aren't sure how to go about it? Scared no one will sign up? In this episode we revisit a conversation with independent artist Rebecca Loebe who was so successful at launching, Patreon even wrote an article about her after she raised funds for her album.

Rebecca Loebe is an independent singer-songwriter who you may remember from the Voice in 2011. Since then she has opened for Shawn Colvin, the Civil Wars, Gregory Alan Isakov, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Ellis Paul amongst others.

Her single, Growing Up was featured in Rolling Stone magazine listed as the Top 10 Best Country and Americana Songs of the Week. As well as being a talented musician, she has also become quite an expert at owning her own distribution and runs a successful Patreon page - and Patreon even featured Rebecca on their blog after her successful album promotion.

I also mention a couple of Shure mics you can check out during the Holiday sales - 

Shure MV7 podcast and vocal mic

Shure SM58 - most durable stage & recording mic ever created!

As promised, here are the links and references discussed in today's episode:

Patreon's article on Rebecca: https://blog.patreon.com/rebecca-loebe 

Patreon's article on Nataly Dawn: https://blog.patreon.com/nataly-dawn-patronage 

Amanda Palmer "The Art of Asking" TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking?language=en 

Simon Sinek "Start With Why" TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en 

Rebecca's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rebeccaloebe 

We'd love to hear any feedback about this miniseries or any suggestions you have for episodes! Email us: info@thisnextsongsabout.com 

As the new season of the podcast is being prepped and recorded, here's a little bonus from the archives - recorded in 2019 with Gretchen Peters. 

To view the photo I mention in the episode - you can check it out on instagram @iamsteviemanns.

I also mention a couple of Shure mics you can check out during the Holiday sales - 

Shure MV7 podcast and vocal mic

Shure SM58 - most durable stage & recording mic ever created!

Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame member, Gretchen Peters talks to Stevie ahead of her New York show at Rockwood Music Hall Dec 8th and we dig into the origins of one of her songs, "The Boy From Rye" and how it's the heart of her latest album, Dancing With The Beast.

For two decades, Gretchen Peters has been one of Nashville's most beloved and respected artists. "If Peters never delivers another tune as achingly beautiful as 'On A Bus To St. Cloud,'" People Magazine wrote, "she has already earned herself a spot among country's upper echelon of contemporary composers.” Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in October 2014 by singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, who called her "both a songwriter and a poet (who) sings as beautifully as she writes,” and said her song “The Matador”, "moved me so greatly, I cried from the soles of my feet”, Peters has accumulated accolades as a songwriter for artists as diverse as Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, The Neville Brothers, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Bryan Adams and Faith Hill.

Her 2015 album, ‘Blackbirds’, debuted at #1 on the UK Country chart and in the top 40 UK pop chart, and was awarded International Album of the Year and Song of the Year. In 2015, The Telegraph named her one of the greatest 60 female singer-songwriters of all time. Her latest album, Dancing With The Beast, was released on May 18, 2018. https://gretchenpeters.com