Did you know that the Pacific Northwest is home to nearly 200 different species of butterflies? That’s right. From Washington to northern Idaho, Oregon and Vancouver B.C., the region is flush with the fluttering, often brilliantly colored winged creatures. At peak times, there are upwards of millions in the area. But here’s where you might be wondering: Where are they, exactly? Allow us to be your guide.
Read MoreFormally formed in 2001 in Glasgow, Scotland, the indie rock band Franz Ferdinand has made a global name for itself after some humble, chummy beginnings.
And this month, the band released its first greatest hits album, Hits To The Head, which boasts some 20 of its biggest songs—though, admittedly, it could even stand to include a few more (as you will see below). The new album also features two new tracks from the popular band, “Curious” and “Billy Goodbye.”
We caught up with the band’s frontman, Alex Kapranos, to talk about how he first came to enjoy music, how his father impacted his early years in the art form, how Franz Ferdinand got together (hint: it includes a bottle of whiskey) and how the group came to write some of the biggest songs of this century.
In addition, Franz Ferdinand just announced a big summer tour (see the full list of dates below). Strap in for this thorough, wide-ranging conversation music fans.
Read MoreThe internet is a major part of our day-to-day lives, yet existence with the vast digital realm continues to be much like living in the Wild West. New options, new spaces, new ideas and new services seem to pop up on an almost daily basis. From the early days of email to the modern era of high-speed streaming, the internet is always evolving.
One of the most recent trends is the availability of video game subscription and streaming services. These give gamers the opportunity to access dozens (or even hundreds) of titles at any given time … usually for a fee. The games are streamed in real time, but some platforms also offer players the ability to download titles to their devices and continue to access them as long as they continue to subscribe. With a streaming service, one can theoretically play any game on any compatible device at any time — much like watching a TV show on Netflix® whenever you like via your phone, tablet or television.
We covered the pros and cons of discs versus game downloads in a previous posting, but there is much more to consider when discussing subscription and streaming services. In this article, we’ll describe the main features offered by several prime options. First, however, let’s start with some background.
Read MoreWhen it comes to brass instruments, there seems to be something of a hierarchy. Trumpets are bright and authoritative, always right out front. With their long slides, trombones are both visually arresting and fun to play. But tubas? Too often they are thought of as the kid Little League coaches stick out in right field. But, in actuality, the lowest-pitched instrument in the brass family plays a vital role.
There are concert tubas, marching band and jazz ensemble tubas; tubas with bells pointed upward, backward and frontward; tubas of different finishes and tuned to different pitches. In this article, we’ll describe the difference between them all … but first, a look at their origins and similarities.
Read MoreComposer, songwriter, and performer Andrew Joslyn has worked with some of the biggest names in music—as you will see below—from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis to Mark Lanegan, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, Leslie Odom Jr., and The Head and the Heart. He also penned string arrangements for the new Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot.
In fact, Joslyn is one of the most sought-after string composers in popular music, offering his compositions on many of the aforementioned artists’ songs. Here, we caught up with the musician to ask him about his writing process, how he’s linked up with these award-winning musicians, how much it takes to hustle to make a career, and much more.
Read MoreWhen it comes to piano and electric keyboards, Philip Woo is a legend. His stature looms large in his Seattle hometown, current residence in Tokyo, and throughout the music-loving world. As musicians know, it takes thousands of hours of training, rehearsing, and ruminating to achieve a dream, and Woo put in the work. That discipline shows up across his bottomless discography. Woo has met and played with everyone from Kenny G and Roy Ayers to the families of Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones. He opens up about British Invasion influences, the artistic hub of Seattle’s Garfield High School, and what keeps him dedicated to his craft.
Read MoreMoms are the greatest.
Not only would we not be here without them, but moms also tend to be the most supportive people on earth. I know, for me, my mother has shown me what it means to love and care for someone. Growing up, she showed me unconditional love. Through my highest highs and lowest lows, my mother has been a voice of reason, support, and appreciation. I love you, mom!
But, of course, I’m not the only one who feels this way about their mother. And given that March is Women’s History Month, we thought what better time than now to give a shout-out to moms all across the land? So, we did just that.
Below, you’ll find stories from artists talking about the important impact their mothers had, on not only their careers but their origins as artists. Hear from legends like Heart’s Ann Wilson to rising frontwomen like Julia Massey of Warren Dunes about how mothers have impacted their lives. (Get the Kleenex ready.)
Read MoreWhen does the process of making a record begin? Is it when the engineer in the studio says ‘Rolling?’ Is it when the first bit of ink sinks into an otherwise blank sheet of paper? Is it when a band first gets together and promises kinship through an inevitably up and down handful of years, or longer?
For the popular duo-brother band For King & Country, the first light of their forthcoming LP (their fifth), What Are We Waiting For? flickered at 3 in the morning one night on a tour bus. The group had released a track or two that would find their way onto the new LP by that time, but it was then that entire concepts began to take shape.
That record is set to drop on Friday, March 11 and what it means for the band and for its fans will soon be seen, heard and felt in real-time as the brothers hit the road on a lengthy spring tour.
Read MoreThe events of the last two years have revealed a dichotomous new musical era. In one way, technology has never been more prevalent. At the same time, people have never been more isolated. But that reality has a silver lining: it’s helped create a renewed love affair with Lo-Fi.
The crackle and delightful imprecisions of the music of the past is drawing millions of new listeners. In this article, we’ll tell you exactly what Lo-Fi means, why it’s so popular and where it came from … as well as where you can find the best examples of these kinds of sounds.
Read MoreFounded by wives Jeri and Amy Andrews, and Catherine and Brandi Carlile (yes, THE Brandi Carlile, multi-time Grammy Award-winner), the winery aims to combine inclusiveness with sipping your favorite variety.
On top of that mission, XOBC Cellars works to give back, partnering with charities like The Looking Out Foundation, which works to empower marginalized voices. They have also partnered in the past with War Child UK and Children In Conflict.
With a strong network of customers and “Collectors” (their term for wine club members), the winery has grown since its inception in June 2019. Of course it has! Brandi Carlile is undeniable and, together, the four founders know not simply what goes into a good glass, but what goes into a good conversation for a better tomorrow.
We caught up with co-founders Jeri and Amy Andrews to talk about XOBC’s origins, how it got off the ground and how it’s achieving new heights today.
Read MoreFor acclaimed blues guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, who is often hailed as the “next big thing” when it comes to both the guitar and the genre in which he excels, the pressure of this reality can sometimes be a bit (too) heavy. So, to navigate his position in the world of music on a day-to-day basis, Ingram works to keep ideas of accolades, attention, and lineage out of his mind, for the most part. In its place, the artist focuses on the roots of the music he loves. He thinks about writing, playing, getting better, and adhering to what got him to the place where he is now. Any other deviations might lead his proverbial forward-moving car into a ditch. As such, as Ingram prepares for a lengthy tour this spring (see dates below), he’s focused on improvement first and foremost.
Read MoreFor Ben Bridwell, frontman and principal songwriter for the indie rock group Band of Horses, his career still makes no sense. That is to say, Bridwell remains rather astonished by it. That the now-43-year-old Irmo, South Carolina-born artist has earned a Grammy nomination or played to tens of thousands of people at festivals like Lollapalooza makes his head spin. He never started out wanting to front a band. In fact, when he landed in Seattle years ago, he was homeless, living on the street with a sleeping bag tied to his back. But even then, he knew one thing was essential for forward progress in any endeavor: hard work. It’s an instinct that remains with Bridwell today and it shines through on the latest Band of Horses album, Things Are Great, which is set to drop on Friday (March 4).
Read MoreWhen you tell Grammy, Oscar, and Emmy Award-winning artist Jennifer Hudson that you’re starting the interview for the American Songwriter Magazine Legends issue, of which she is a central figure, her response is, “Me?” Then she laughs quickly and follows up with a “thank you!” She does all this in a way that is true and honest. Hudson expresses the kind of “Thank you” that a friend might when you tell them their book of poetry is well-written or their apartment is well-put-together.
In terms of accomplishments, Hudson sits atop a mountain that’s all her own. Yet, there remains something about her that lives outside of that lofty peak. Perhaps this is the result of a hard life combined with a lot of hard-won hardware. Hudson, who experienced unspeakable lows in 2008 with the murder of three of her close family members, has constantly pushed forward in her life and career.
Indeed, that’s often the mark of a legend: perseverance, resilience, and some unimaginable sense of poise. Most recently, Hudson demonstrated all three when she took on the role of fellow music legend Aretha Franklin in the 2021 biopic, Respect (out now via MGM and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment to own on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital). But perhaps more than anything else, Hudson credits a single mentality with allowing her to succeed in ways few—if any—artists have before her.
Read MoreThere’s been a question circulating the world these days and it goes something like this: Who is the most universally beloved person today? Who is that person we can all agree on that we like? In a fractured, at times-even war-torn world, that can be a hard question to answer. But an obvious choice to consider is the one and only Dionne Warwick.
The 81-year-old New Jersey-born Warwick has earned a resurgence in popular culture recently with her chef’s kiss pitch-perfect presence on Twitter. She also reached the hearts of many via a recent appearance on the famed variety show Saturday Night Live, with comedian Ego Nwodim. But even before that, Warwick was singing hit after hit, from “That’s What Friends Are For” to “Say A Little Prayer.”
Warwick, who is one of the best-selling and most successful singers in the history of popular music, continues to add accomplishments to her resume and headlines to her oeuvre. She recently released a memoir, My Life, As I See It, she’s been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she recently earned a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award and a new CNN documentary about her life, narrated by Snoop Dogg, is being released.
She is also set to headline a new Las Vegas residency, beginning March 24 at The Stirling Club. American Songwriter caught up with Miss Warwick to ask her about all these accomplishments, as well as to get her thoughts on the potential of global war, the Neil Young-Spotify controversy, and much, much more.
Read MoreCountry singer Jon Pardi doesn’t have a rocket ship. The Nashville-based songwriter and performer knows this to be true (both literally and metaphorically). But that doesn’t stop him from sonically taking flight. For Pardi, his proverbial flying machine is much more akin to a warplane, he says, one of those double-winged metallic creatures that soar steadily in the air as many others whiz and whir past.
But for Pardi, a career is not a sprint. It’s a marathon, a lifetime of work. And the California native recently added new fuel to his journey with the release of his latest single, “Last Night Lonely,” which he unveiled on February 18. Now, Pardi is exclusively announcing an extensive summer tour with American Songwriter. Dubbed the Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour, the 25-date trek is set to kick off in July and run through September with friends and collaborators Lainey Wilson and Hailey Whitters. (See tour dates below).
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