“You would think that suffering leads to good art, but that’s false. I find it stifling.” Like most songwriters, Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses has found the past two years to be a bane to his creative process.
Read MoreAllison Russell and Aoife O’Donovan are celebrated songwriters—and working moms. This makes for a songwriting process in which the only ritual is recognizing that you don’t have one.
Read MoreArtists are always searching for the ideal creative state, that perfect time when the songs effortlessly flow. For both Anaïs Mitchell and Charlotte Cornfield, that ideal state involves, well, not really being aware of when they’re in that ideal state.
Read MoreAs a found sound band, Sylvan Esso find inspiration everywhere, from appliances to well pumps to fast food sauce dispensers. Even hold music is fair game.
Read MoreFor Mia Berrin of Pom Pom Squad, how a song looks is as important as how it sounds. And her latest album Death of a Cheerleader looks and sounds like red.
Read MoreA move to Upstate New York has given Derek Miller of Sleigh Bells two boons to his creative process: football and the chance to get really, really loud.
Read MoreA good songwriting process for Emily Scott Robinson involves bank pens and vacuum cleaners.
Read MoreDebbie Gibson thanks The Song Fairies—and sometimes a carousel horse—for the zen-like calm that allows her to write so many iconic songs.
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