Nick Carpenter makes music as Medium Build and he is my guest on this week’s That’s How I Remember It. In 2024, he released a great record called Country, and we talked about that as well as memorizing lyrics, Crocs, “Renegade” by Styx, Alaska, being obsessed by geography, dreaming about Marc Maron, Lou Vega’s “Mambo No. 5,” and missed connection ads being like songs. I had a great time talking to Nick, he’s funny and insightful and I was thrilled to meet him in person a few weeks later when we both opened for Tyler Childress. Huge thanks to him for joining me. Check it out, listen and subscribe.

Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker, the principal songwriters in the band Wussy are my guests on this episode. It was recorded live in June in front of a great audience at Club 603 in Baltimore. Wussy put out a fantastic record called Cincinnati, Ohio last year which dealt a lot with losing their bandmate John Erhardt. We talked about that as well as the TV show Mannix, Celine Dion’s Stevie Wonder cover, the origins of their band, Club 603, breaking bones, seeing ghosts, and finding dead bodies. It’s an excellent and funny conversation. Huge thanks to Chuck and Lisa and Club 603 for hosting. Listen and subscribe!

Jeff and Steven MacDonald from Redd Kross are my guests on this episode of That’s How I Remember It, and I couldn’t be more psyched. These brothers are the subject of a fantastic recent book, an amazing documentary film, and they put out a great double record last year. I’ve been obsessed with them going back to the 80s, and we talk about that here. We also talk about them trading VHS tapes with Quentin Tarantino, seeing REO Speedwagon and Ohio Players at a live recording of Don Kirchner’s Rock Concert, Jeff seeing the Beatles at age 2, sharing a memory as brothers, Kiss Dynasty, The Replacements, Syd and Marty Krofft, and of course I brought up the Bay City Rollers. Amazing episode, listen and subscribe!

Ezra Furman is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I’ve been a massive fan since I heard her 2013 release Day of the Dog, and her new record Goodbye Small Head might be her best yet. We talked about that as well as music taking the place of religion, rituals, The Waterboys, community, the top ten hits of 1961, early songwriting attempts, memory from a trans perspective, and so much more. I have been hoping to have Ezra on the show for a long time, and it was everything I hoped it would be. A fantastic conversation, check it out and subscribe!

The case of Evan and Chris, best friends who love playing music together. But after the band suffers a terrible tragedy, they find themselves unable to regain their momentum. We pair them up with another musician who’s all too familiar with the neverending drama that comes with being in a band with friends.  From the episode:  Listen to The Superweaks and the single "Blindside" from their new record The Superweaks Superweekly Supercast episode where Yowei stumbles into the case Follow them on Instagram @thesuperweaks Read Ryan Dusick's memoir Harder to Breathe: A Memoir of Making Maroon, Losing It All, and Finding Recovery Learn more about Ryan and follow him on Instagram @ryan_michael_dusick Listen to The Harder To Breathe Podcast  The Music Industry Therapist Collective Subscribe to Proxy with Yowei Shaw.

S.G. Goodman is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. She’s got an amazing record dropping in the next few days called Planting By The Signs and we talked about that as well as survival mode, pandemic isolation, losing her dog Howard, our modern relationship with nature, a breakup being like an addiction and letting a song “go about it’s business.” It was a really great talk with a fantastic writer. I enjoyed it immensely. Listen and subscribe!

Cassandra Jenkins is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Cassandra is an amazing and inspiring songwriter and musician. She’s also a friend that I’ve made music with. We talked about growing up in a musical household, steel drums, “I Want to Dance With Somebody,” saving voicemails, our 2019 tour, her decision to re-record her most recent album, working in a flower shop, and so much more. Cassandra is super insightful, and I was so happy to finally have her on the podcast. Listen and subscribe! Download Cash App Today: ⁠https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/y8we5e0g⁠ #CashAppPod *Referral Reward Disclaimer: As a Cash App partner, I may earn a commission when you sign up for a Cash App account.

Alex Orange Drink, Alex Levine, is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I’ve know Alex for a while now, and did a UK/Euro tour with him and his brothers’ great band The So So Glos. He also makes records as a solo artist, including a great new one called Victory Lap #23 which details the battle with cancer that he faced after being diagnosed in 2023. We also talked about Chuck Berry, Michael Jordan, living with Homocystinuria, writing with Conor Oberst and Tim Armstrong, and so much more. I was extremely happy that Alex was able to join me here. His story is inspiring. Listen and subscribe! Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/y8we5e0g #CashAppPod *Referral Reward Disclaimer: As a Cash App partner, I may earn a commission when you sign up for a Cash App account.

Bartees Strange is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. In February, Bartees released a great record called Horror, and he’s on the road now in support of it. We talked a lot about the record and also about Christian rock bands, which horror movies scare him, Bon Iver’s song "Skinny Love," writing short songs on purpose, hardcore as an inspiration, and so much more. Great talk, I was really happy to get to speak to Bartees. Listen and subscribe!

Jim James of My Morning Jacket is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I’ve been a big fan of My Morning Jacket since my old band Lifter Puller played a show with them way back in 2000. We talked briefly about that show as well as their fantastic new record, The Muppets, validation, depression, EMDR therapy, sleeping on tour buses, Danzig, The Doors, and so much more. Really a fantastic talk with Jim, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Listen and subscribe!

Adam Granduciel is my guest on this episode That’s How I Remember It. Adam is the principal behind the amazing band The War on Drugs and also produced my new record Always Been. We’ve been friends since a 2009 THS/TWOD tour which we spoke about here. We also got into rock and roll ephemera, his Live Drugs records, being flattered by bootleg merch, our 2008 joint European tour that never happened, and making my record Always Been together. Grateful to Adam in so many ways including being a guest on this podcast. Great talk. Listen and subscribe.

Ben Nichols from Lucero is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Ben just released an unplugged record which features him and Lucero piano player Rick Steff performing stripped-down versions of some Lucero classics and deep cuts. We talked about that as well as the first Violent Femmes record, The Nerves’ song “Hanging on the Telephone,” the Little Rock music scene, his brother Jeff’s movie The Bikeriders, and the time both our bands opened for the Replacements in 2014. I always have a great time with Ben and this was no exception. Listen and subscribe!

Stuart Murdoch is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Stuart is the lead singer and songwriter of classic band Belle & Sebastian, who have consistently released amazing music since the mid '90s. He’s now also the author of a great new novel Nobody’s Empire, which mirrors his own personal experiences with chronic fatigue syndrome in the time leading up to the formation of B&S. We talked about that as well as Abba, Bay City Rollers, Come on Eileen, CS Lewis, writing letters to Quentin Crisp, Inland taipans, and so much more. It was a thrill for me to have Stuart on the show, I’m a huge fan, and I think we had a great talk. Listen and subscribe!

Patrick Radden Keefe is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Patrick is an incredible non-fiction writer, he’s written a number of books including 2019’s amazing Say Nothing, about the troubles in Northern Ireland. The book was the basis for the successful TV series that was on FX last year. He’s also behind the Winds of Change podcast, which examined the potential of CIA involvement in the Scorpions hit song. We had a great talk here about falling in love with The New Yorker, counterfeit wine, Celebrity Apprentice, the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum heist, unexamined rock and roll conspiracies, and so much more. It was a great talk, excited to share it. Listen and subscribe!

Matt Johnson from The The is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. The The started in 1979 and has released a number of classic alternative records. In 2024, they came back with their first studio album in 24 years, the excellent Ensoulment. We talked about that as well as Jamboree bags, penny chews, coal-tar soap, being open to love and using old colognes to trigger memories. Matt is an inspiring artist who continues to do so much cool stuff, and it was an honor to have him here. Listen and subscribe! 

Tamara Lindeman makes music as The Weather Station and she is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Tamara just released a fantastic record called Humanhood, which comes follows 2021’s breakthrough Ignorance and its 2022 companion How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars. We talked about the making of Humanhood, climate grief, trusting musicians, winds vs. synths, and making music so you can go on tour. I thought this was a really great conversation, and I’m excited to be able to share it here. Listen and subscribe! 

Willy Vlautin is my guest on the first That’s How I Remember It episode of 2025. Willy is an amazing songwriter and novelist. He’s published seven incredible novels, most recently 2024’s The Horse. After leading the band Richmond Fontaine for years, he moved over to a pure songwriting role in The Delines, who are releasing a great record Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom next month. We talked about that as well as the effect of anxiety on memory, Steinbeck, William Kennedy, TV/Film adaptations of his work, and so much more. Willys is a friend and also a complete inspiration. I was so happy to go deep with him here. Listen and subscribe. 

Dave Pirner is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I grew up a massive Soul Asylum fan so I was thrilled to have Dave here to talk about his excellent new record, playing trumpet in the Minnesota Youth Symphony, different roles producers play, honoring his deceased band member Karl Mueller, our mutual guitar teacher Chris Osgood, and whether he is the guy yelling at the police at the beginning of The Replacements’ Stink record. Was a great talk. Listen and subscribe. 

Pete Yorn is my guest on this episode of THIRI. He’s had an amazing career as a songwriter, starting with his huge debut record musicforthemorningafter in 2001. Since then he’s made a ton of good records, including this year’s The Hard Way. We talked about that as well as liking sad songs as a young person, learning covers, Moleskin notebooks, being wary of producers, seeing one of Tom Petty’s last shows, Shrek 2, and a whole lot more. Was an absolute pleasure to speak with Pete, I really enjoyed it. Listen and subscribe! 

Jesse Malin is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. A complete legend of NYC rock and roll, Jesse suffered a spinal stroke in 2023 and has been rehabilitating since. His songs are covered in a new tribute album with a star-studded lineup. Many of these artists will be playing the Beacon Theater in December when Malin and his band take the stage for the first time since the stroke. We talked about all of that as well as playing with the Misfits in 1981, seeing the Ramones for the first time, and so much more. Was a thrill to spend this time with Jesse. This episode is brought to you by DistroKid. DistroKid makes music distribution fun and easy with unlimited uploads and artists keep 100% of their royalties and earnings. To learn more and get 30% off your first year's membership, visit: distrokid.com/vip/craigfinn