Episode 74: Old Crow Medicine Show

“Dearly Departed Friend”

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Old Crow Medicine Show is a six-piece band from Tennessee, who’ve been around since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2013, and they won the Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2015, for their record Remedy. In this episode, bandleader Ketch Secor tells the story of how they made “Dearly Departed Friend,” one of the songs from Remedy.

Buy “Dearly Departed Friend” on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Dropkick Murphys – The Hardest Mile (produced by Ted Hutt)
This Memorial Day, I’m donating to Justice for Vets. Learn more and donate at justiceforvets.org.

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Episode 73: Busdriver

“Worlds to Run (feat. Milo and Anderson .Paak)”

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Busdriver is a rapper from Los Angeles, and since 2001, he’s been releasing albums with a signature hyperliterate, intellectual style. But over a decade later, Busdriver has found himself reaching for something more intimate and personal. In this episode, he breaks down the 2015 song “Worlds to Run,” along with the track’s producer, Kenny Segal. It features guest vocals from Anderson .Paak and Milo, and you’ll hear how their contributions shaped Busdriver’s vision for the song.

Buy “Worlds to Run” on iTunes or Bandcamp.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

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Episode 72: Carly Rae Jepsen

“When I Needed You”

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Carly Rae Jepsen released her third album, Emotion, in 2015. The closing track on the record is When I Needed You. In this episode, Carly tells the story of how the song was made. You’ll hear the first demo for the song, a version she co-wrote with her longtime collaborator Tavish Crowe. And you’ll hear how that led to the album version. Plus, producer Ariel Rechtshaid breaks down some of the parts that he created for the recording. My interview with Carly Rae Jepsen was recorded live at the Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco.

Buy “When I Needed You” on iTunes.

I had a great time talking to @carlyraejepsen today for Song Exploder live at @noisepopfest. (????: @rsa)

A photo posted by Song Exploder (@songexploder) on

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

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