Songwriters on Process

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Alex Cameron Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

"I don't like closing a book on words, not even my laptop," says Alex Cameron. This is no metaphor. Cameron means this literally because he always wants to be able to see his words. He keeps a giant piece of butcher paper spread out on his table 24/7. This butcher paper contains all of his writing, and I mean all: text message drafts, lists, lyrics, journal writing. Anything that gets written down goes here as opposed to a notebook or laptop or phone, and since he's always walking by the table or sitting at it, he has unfettered access to his writing. And as you'll hear, it's where he practices his ruminazio.

Alex Cameron's latest album is Late to Set

Bedouine (Azniv Korkejian) Jul 27, 2026

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"You don't have to be a tortured artist to write a song, but it's important to write about what you're feeling and not run away from it," Azniv Korkejian (aka Bedouine) says about her songwriting process. As proof, she tells a story about how she sobbed the first time she played one of her new songs for her husband.

As you'll hear, there's no better place to write those songs than the local public library, and Bedouine provides some pretty powerful reasons why.

Bedouine's latest album is Neon Summer Skin

Dragos Chiriac (Men I Trust) Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

It's not often (ever?) that I get to talk Hegel, Jung, and Goethe with songwriters. But Dragos Chiriac of Men I Trust and I go deep into philosophy in this episode. I am a huge fan of the band and enjoyed our discussion immensely as we talk about the impact these writers have on Chiriac and why he returns to them over and over.

Lest you think this episode was all about existential angst, we also discussed the relatively simple reason why the band wrote my favorite Men I Trust song "Billie Toppy."

Keenan O'Meara Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

"The failure is not in writing a bad song. The failure is in writing no song."

Keenan O'Meara has always honored the value of work. Maybe it's because he's also a carpenter by trade, but discipline is his asset even though it's not something that comes naturally. "You have to teach yourself how to work. We've been tricked by the idea of divine inspiration for far too long," he told me. Carpentry has been a boon to his process. "It's great for songwriting. If you ever find yourself out of songwriting ideas, get a carpentry gig." I have to agree: O'Meara is one of several songwriters I've interviewed who are also woodworkers.

Keenan O'Meara's new album is Bathe in the Everlasting Light.

Jason Newsted Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Jason Newsted blends words and acrylics. Literally. The former Metallica bassist and leader of Jason Newsted and the Chophouse Band is also an accomplished painter, and to get started he'll often write song lyrics (not his own) on a blank canvas, then paint over them. The lyrics serve as a way to stimulate his creative process as his brush strokes move over the words and mix. Newsted gives me a great example of how he recently did this with a Jim Croce song.

This episode is a deep discussion about the creative process and what drives us to create. Newsted's words are wonderfully thoughtful.

Molly Hamilton (Widowspeak) Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

I'd like to call myself an OG Widowspeak fan, as I told Molly Hamilton. I saw them when they opened for 2:54 back in 2011 or 2012 on their first tour, and I became an instant fan. Hamilton and I go deep into the songwriting process, including how jobs outside of songwriting can be a boon for creativity--in Hamilton's case it's the food industry, and in her husband Robert Earl Thomas's case it's carpentry--and how becoming a new parent changes, well, everything when you're a two-person band and you're married.

The latest Widowspeak album is Roses.

Nick Allbrook (Pond) Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

"Hard work is important, and it feels good. My family put a lot of stake into working hard, so it's been ingrained in me," Nick Allbrook of Pond told me. We did this interview at 6:30am his time, so that's all you need to know about his discipline.

But hard work means nothing if you're not attuned to your environment. Allbrook has that covered too: "You miss out on all of life's beautiful moments and forget that you're a writer if you're always staring at your phone. Once you put it down, inspiration is everywhere."

Pond's latest album is Terrestrials.

Futurebirds Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

Go Dawgs! Loved having the Athens-bred Futurebirds on the pod. They're no longer college students at the University of Georgia, of course, but as longtime friends and bandmates they've evolved from students to family men. As you'll hear, their songwriting processes have evolved accordingly.

The latest album by Futurebirds is Far Out Country.

Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

"If I could sum up my process, it would be this: finish everything," says Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie. "I finish every song I start even if I know in the first verse that it’s a complete pile of shit. I finish it because there might be a lyrical idea or a theme in the third verse or the chorus or the bridge that I can use somewhere else."

Unsurprisingly, Gibbard calls himself a "completionist." He finishes every song he starts writing, every book he begins reading. It's no mystery why he's so prolific, of course, but Gibbard's productivity is due to his efficiency: there's a purpose to everything he does in his creative process. He knows what works, and he knows what doesn't.

Death Cab for Cutie's latest album is I Built You a Tower.

Greg Mendez Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

Greg Mendez has a shelved album concept that he says you can have if you're a songwriter. The plan was to center each song around the rhythm of a different car's turn signal, and the title of the song would simply be the car's name (so "2003 Honda Accord," for example.) It never came to fruition of course, but it illustrates Mendez's hyperfocus on his environment as he mines for song ideas.

Mendez's latest album is Beauty Land.

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