Rising hip hop influencer Cameron McCloud lets us in on his journey and his process PART ONE: Paul and Scott chat about a song that's getting a lot of hate online and consider how the internet has redefined how we hear music. PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with Cameron McCloud ABOUT CAMERON McCLOUD Cure for Paranoia is the Dallas-based alternative hip hop collective fronted by Cameron McCloud. Crowned "Rap Group of the Year" by the Dallas Entertainment Awards in 2025 and "Artist of the Year...
May 27, 2026•1 hr 10 min
Singer/songwriter, virtuoso guitarist, and multiple Grammy winner Molly Tuttle chats about her wide-ranging musical personality that encompasses bluegrass, folk, Americana, and rock. PART ONE: Paul and Scott wade into the controversy to share their opinions about the New York Times ' recent list of the 30 Best Living American Songwriters. Listen at your own risk! PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with Molly Tuttle ABOUT MOLLY TUTTLE: In 2017, California-born Molly Tuttle became the first femal...
May 14, 2026•1 hr 18 min
Grammy nominated songwriter Pynk Beard (aka Sebastian Kole) chats about his extensive work as a behind-the-scenes pop creator and gives us insight into his latest country-flavored album project. PART ONE Scott and Paul chat about their recent travels and how they find ways to make music tourism a part of any trip. PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Pynk Beard ABOUT PYNK BEARD: Pynk Beard is the artistic persona of Alabama-born Coleridge Tillman, who has already made a splash as a successful...
Apr 30, 2026•1 hr 9 min
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Songwriters Hall of Famer Lou Gramm shares stories about his career, from his pre-Foreigner days all the way to his latest album, Released . PART ONE Scott and Paul chat about Scott's solemn vow to Lou Gramm, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and how multi-national bands just might be a model for social healing. PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Lou Gramm ABOUT LOU GRAMM Lou Gramm is best known as the powerhouse vocalist for the band Foreigner, which hit t...
Apr 16, 2026•1 hr 2 min
GRAMMY-nominated songwriting and production team Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk chat about their contributions to the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, their success with the huge BTS hit "Butter," and balancing their professional and personal lives as partners. PART ONE Lest you think it a dead subgenre, Paul and Scott revisit their examination of the "stutter rock" phenomenon with a modern day twist. PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk ABOUT JENNA & STEPHEN ...
Apr 01, 2026•1 hr 2 min
Two-time GRAMMY and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee Rich Robinson joins us to chat about his songwriting with The Black Crowes. PART ONE Paul and Scott talk about their deep Black Crowes history that goes all the way back to high school. Then they revert to their high school selves and try to make each other laugh by proposing ridiculous imaginary partnerships between artists and restaurant chains (think Michael McDonald's or Ice-T.G.I. Fridays). PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Rich...
Mar 18, 2026•1 hr 17 min
A legend to the legends! Jeff Barry was named one of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time and is inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "Tell Laura I Love Her." "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Then He Kissed Me," "Be My Baby," "(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home," "Chapel of Love," "River Deep - Mountain High," "Doo Wah Diddy," "Leader of the Pack," "Hanky Panky," "Sugar, Sugar," "I Honestly Love You." It's mind boggling! PART ONE Paul and Scott c...
Mar 02, 2026•1 hr 54 min
Rival Sons front man Jay Buchanan takes us deep into the writing process for his fantastic debut solo album, Weapons of Beauty PART ONE: Scott and Paul talk about Scott's experiences at the GRAMMY Awards PART TWO Our in depth conversation with Jay Buchanan ABOUT JAY BUCHANAN Jay Buchanan is best known as the front man of the rock band Rival Sons whose catalog includes the landmark albums Pressure & Time , Great Western Valkyrie , and Feral Roots , which earned GRAMMY nominations for Best Roc...
Feb 17, 2026•1 hr 13 min
Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of legendary singer/songwriter Billy Joel and supermodel/actress Christie Brinkley, talks about her own experiences as a songwriter and performer who draws from a deep well of personal experiences. PART ONE Paul and Scott talk about...(gasp!) NEW music! PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Alexa Ray Joel ABOUT ALEXA RAY JOEL Singer, songwriter, and pianist Alexa Ray Joel released her debut EP Sketches in 2006 and has since released a series of singles, including t...
Feb 03, 2026•1 hr 4 min
18-time Grammy nominee and American musical legend Taj Mahal goes deep on his influences and his approach to the craft. PART ONE Paul and Scott kick off the new year with a discussion about the nominees for the upcoming Grammy Awards. And more! PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Taj Mahal ABOUT TAJ MAHAL Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal has mastered the blues form and has further built upon it by incorporating world music influences and expanding the boundaries of the...
Jan 20, 2026•1 hr 18 min
We've been celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, for our final "classic episode" of 2025, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with "All I Want for Christmas" co-writer Walter Afanasieff. Happy holidays and thanks for a great year of looking back together as we continue to look toward the future! ABOUT WALTER AFANASIEFF Thirteen-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner Walter Afanasieff is best known for h...
Dec 24, 2025•1 hr 10 min
GRAMMY winner and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Mike Reid chats about his remarkable musical life. PART ONE Scott and Paul talk about the sports games and so much more PART TWO Our in depth conversation with Mike Reid ABOUT MIKE REID Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Mike Reid has written twelve #1 country songs and has had his work recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Anita Baker, Bette Midler, Prince, George Michael, Nancy Wilson, Etta James, Kenny Rogers, Ann Murray, Wynonna Judd, Alabama, Joe C...
Dec 17, 2025•1 hr 26 min
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Elvis Costello. ABOUT ELVIS COSTELLO Released between 1977 and 1979, Elvis Costello’s first three albums— My Aim is True , This Year’s Model , and Armed Forces —were all included in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. That early period of his recording career yielded now-classic singles ...
Dec 09, 2025•1 hr 34 min
Grammy-winning producer and singer-songwriter Joe Henry gives us insight into his multi-faceted career PART ONE Paul and Scott chat about their music-themed road trip and say R.I.P. to MTV. PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Joe Henry ABOUT JOE HENRY Joe Henry is a singer-songwriter who became a record producer as a protege of T Bone Burnett. He went on to win Grammy awards for his work with Solomon Burke, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Bonnie Raitt. Additionally, ...
Dec 03, 2025•1 hr 30 min
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with the late Todd Snider. ABOUT TODD SNIDER Celebrated singer-songwriter Todd Snider has continued the troubadour legacy of mentors like John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, while putting his uniquely clever, wry, sly, and often irreverent spin on folk, rock, country, and Americana. Launching his career ...
Nov 25, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Number one Funkateer Bootsy Collins takes us to Funk University! From his days in James Brown's group, to his work with Parliament/Funkadelic and Booty's Rubber Band, to his recent single that raises awareness about domestic violence, "the world's only rhinestone rock-star doll" tears the roof off the sucker and breaks it all down for us. Songcraft wants the funk! PART ONE: Paul and Scott discuss particularly recognizable bassists and chat about their expectations of what they thought Bootsy wou...
Nov 17, 2025•56 min
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with Richard Marx. ABOUT RICHARD MARX: Grammy-winning performer Richard Marx has sold more than 30 million albums as an artist, but if you only know him from late 1980s ballads such as “Hold on to the Nights” and “Right Here Waiting,” you only know part of the story. A prolific songwriter, Marx has landed fourteen songs at th...
Nov 12, 2025•1 hr 12 min
From "King Tut" to the top of the bluegrass charts! Grammy and IBMA award-winning banjoists and songwriters Steve Martin and Alison Brown join us to chat about their respective careers and their first full-length collaborative album, Safe, Sensible and Sane . PART ONE Paul and Scott chat about how impressed they are with all the various hats Alison Brown and Steve Martin wear, while also trying to wrap their heads around the seeming complexity of the banjo. PART TWO Our in-depth conversation wit...
Nov 04, 2025•1 hr 9 min
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Stax legend David Porter. ABOUT DAVID PORTER Named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time,” Porter is best known for his songwriting partnership with Isaac Hayes that helped define the sound of Memphis’s legendary Stax Records. As the first African American staff songwriter at Stax, Porter,...
Oct 28, 2025•1 hr 26 min
Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Shawn Camp pulls back the curtain on his varied career, including his latest album of songs that were composed with the legendary Guy Clark. PART ONE Scott and Paul talk about how technology is changing the songwriting game, and other old man complaints. PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Shawn Camp ABOUT SHAWN CAMP Singer/songwriter Shawn Camp has written chart-topping hits such as “Two Pina Coladas” by Garth Brooks, “How Long Gone” by Brooks & Dunn, “W...
Oct 22, 2025•1 hr 13 min
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2019 conversation with Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls. ABOUT EMILY SALIERS Singer-songwriter Emily Saliers is best known as one half of Indigo Girls, which NPR called “one of the finest folk duos of all time.” The Georgia-raised musical icon is the sole writer of some of the group’s best-known titles, including “Closer to Fine,” “Hammer and a N...
Oct 14, 2025•1 hr 22 min
Whitney Phillips, Grammy-nominated songwriter and member of the ensemble cast of the Netflix show Hitmakers, talks about life as a modern-day pop writer PART ONE Paul and Scott dive into the idea of a "perfect song" and discuss some examples of songs they think just might fit into that elusive category. PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Whitney Phillips ABOUT WHITNEY PHILLIPS Whitney Phillips is a Grammy-nominated songwriter and vocal producer known for her genre-blurring versatility and s...
Oct 06, 2025•1 hr 4 min
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2022 conversation with Roland Orzabal. ABOUT ROLAND ORZABAL AND TEARS FOR FEARS: Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith formed Tears for Fears in Bath, England, in 1981 and have gone on to sell 30 million albums worldwide. Their major breakthrough in the UK came in 1982 with the Top 5 single “Mad World” and the subsequent platinum-selling album The Hur...
Sep 30, 2025•1 hr 16 min
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with David Crosby and our 2023 conversation with Graham Nash. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Sep 16, 2025•2 hr 1 min
Americana Award winner and Grammy nominee Hayes Carll chats about the development of his songwriting and the highly personal nature of his latest album, We're Only Human. PART ONE Paul and Scott talk about the unfortunate history of songs about rock & roll. PART TWO Scott's in-depth conversation with Hayes Carll ABOUT HAYES CARLL Singer, songwriter, and Americana mainstay Hayes Carll hit the scene in 2002 with his independently released debut album, Flowers & Liquor. The follow-up, Littl...
Sep 09, 2025•1 hr 17 min
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with Dan Wilson. ABOUT DAN WILSON Songwriter, singer, musician, producer and acclaimed visual artist Dan Wilson is a Minnesota native and Harvard graduate who launched his music career with the band Trip Shakespeare, which was signed to A&M Records. He went on to co-found the rock band Semisonic, whose platinum-selling Fe...
Sep 03, 2025•1 hr 26 min
Five-time Grammy winner, ACM Poet's Award honoree, and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Mary Chapin Carpenter opens up about her process and reflects on her approach to the craft. PART ONE: Paul and Scott geek out hard on Elvis and legendary songwriter Doc Pomus. PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with Mary Chapin Carpenter ABOUT MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER Mary Chapin Carpenter is a five-time Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter and performer who has been nominated 18 times in categories rangi...
Aug 26, 2025•1 hr 15 min
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2017 conversation with Vince Gill. ABOUT VINCE GILL Multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Vince Gill launched his solo career in the mid-1980s, hitting the Top 10 on Billboard ’s country singles chart a remarkable 25 times. All but one of those hits was written or co-written by Gill, and a dozen of his compositions have been nominated ...
Aug 22, 2025•1 hr 14 min
The All-American Rejects frontman discusses the evolution of his songwriting process and what it means for him to embrace his art. PART ONE Paul and Scott talk about their upcoming music-themed road trip. PART TWO Our in-depth interview with Tyson Ritter of The All-American Rejects ABOUT TYSON RITTER Tyson Ritter is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and primary lyricist of The All-American Rejects. Formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 1999, the band quickly rose to prominence in the early ...
Aug 13, 2025•54 min
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2019 conversation with Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson. ABOUT VALERIE SIMPSON Six-time Grammy nominee Valerie Simpson is best known as one half of the songwriting, production and performing duo of Ashford and Simpson, which she formed with musical partner and eventual husband Nick Ashford after they met at a church in Harlem, New York...
Aug 05, 2025•1 hr 16 min
