Talking Tracks

After all that build up, of course Drew talks about the Paul Simon concert. But with the much mentioned Mallory making her first appearance on the show, there is no telling where the conversation will go. Listen as Mal-Pal The Nature Gal and Drew talk about food regret, garden updates, and the concert of a lifetime.

Drew is not a landscaper. You knew this. He didn't. But this actually served as the perfect setup to talk about track 5, "Did You Make The Most?" Drew looks back and offers his perspective on what it means to make the most of your time, and the difficulty of appreciating each stage of life while you're in its midst.

Fighting with the room, Drew takes you on a tour of the theater of metal, talks about tricks for creativity, and tries his hand at a fishing story. Also included, a heartfelt segment about how much Talking Tracks means to him.

Wanting what you can't have. Believing in what you haven't found. Looking at the highs and lows of love and life. In this episode, Joni Mitchell prompts questions for Drew that remain unresolved, but show themselves to be beautiful as questions that beg an answer that never comes.

Elevated hot dogs, blowing money on blowing cold, turn it up to ten and let that sucker blast. After a little hiccup at the beginning, Drew gets on a roll in one of his most fun podcasts of all time.

Only a good friend would be comfortable enough to point out such a bad habit. Today, we're talking about track 4, "Double Crossed." This song is central to the theme of the record 'Blame The Miles Between,' and it all started when a close friend leveled with me about what might be behind my failed relationships. Also, wicked guitar solos ahead.

A good night's sleep. A correctly adjusted wristwatch. Under these ideal conditions, Drew turns his attention to the forgotten benefits of the cable TV schedule he knew nothing about, and the problem of an unlocked phone.

This podcast almost didn't happen. I'm not joking when I say this episode is brought to you by a bowl of popcorn. It's taken 44 episodes, but I'm finally talking about one of my earliest influences, James Taylor. There's a little of what James means to me as an artist, and a little bit of wild speculation about what some of his lyrics may mean.

Drew, what's wrong with your truck this time? How's that new guitar sounding these days? Do you have any thoughts on Michelangelo's David? All of your burning questions are answered in this 30 minute podcast.

Most dating relationships are based on lies. Cut and File is a song about cutting through the lies that we tell others and ourselves. On this week's episode I'm digging into the third track from my 2016 record Blame The Miles Between.

Coming in hot! Have you heard guys proudly say, "you don't wash a truck"? Well, I have, too. So, I was a little conflicted when I started thinking about washing mine. But after I got the engine running again, I felt like it needed. This is my psychological self-evaluation.

Drew takes a look at two songs that capture the sense of memory and loss that is felt when home becomes a place where you can never return. Coincidentally, one of these songs is Drew's pick for best James Taylor song ever.

It seems you're never too late to change your ways. Drew is still on a John Prine kick and was surprised by an article he read on the man last week. It seems you're never too late to change your ways. Also discussed: the best meat & three in Nashville and DDDs.

This week we take at look a track two from Blame The Miles Between. Early in the rotation, but the centerpiece of the record. Drew warms up by talking about Bill Burr and biodiversity. The back half walks through how to know if she's the one, and wraps up with Drew discovering hidden meaning in his own music. Artwork by Christopher Miller.

Drew's mid-week check in with Talking Track listeners. Wasted day planners are a thing of the past for the new Drew Michael Blake. Drew is talking new schedules and new discoveries. From waking up at an ungodly hour to enneagram numbers. In the final minutes Drew reveals a disturbing new discovery about his musical tastes.

In an act of spontaneous alignment, Drew ditches his playbook and picks a new artist to add to the Talking Tracks collection. One of his all time favorites and current favorites, John Prine, released a new record last Friday, so Drew talks about a John Prine record that came out 18 years ago featuring songs from 30 years ago. It made sense in his head.

Drew talks about trying out new routines, 'getting' Norm MacDonald and what talk shows are really about, and goes into the story of a recent dream come true. For long-time listeners, this will be the resolution to a topic we started talking about back in the fall, and for new listeners this is the conclusion of a 5 year search.

A slightly delirious and sleep-deprived Drew gets into what's been keeping him up late. In this season we'll be talking about the songs from Drew's 2016 album, "Blame The Miles Between," digging into what was happening when these songs were written and how they came together.

In the final episode of Season 2, Drew goes into the similarities between drummers and Oreo cookies, leg brains, sugar addiction, and #deletefacebook

There was one song left over from last week's selection that covers two artists we've talked about on Talking Tracks. Drew was actually pretty pleased to be able to devote a whole episode to the jammiest of deep jams, and still tie in last week's theme of, "who are you?"

As Spring gets closer, the world is reviving, and Drew is getting in touch with nature. Let's talk about garden preparation, the best meal of your life, and what's really going on in your grocery store.

If you haven't seen Black Panther, this episode won't ruin anything for you. That being said, you should totally go see it. This isn't just a good black movie, or a good superhero movie– it's a good movie. Prompted by the often repeated question within the movie, "Who are you?," Drew looks for songs that can help drive the question deeper and further the narrative.

In 2010, Prince said, "The Internet is so over," and everyone laughed. What a funny joke, we said. The internet, is awesome, we said. These days, it seems we're not so sure. Drew really just wanted to talk about the new website he's working on, but it turns out he has a lot of opinions on the internet. Listen up!

Listen as Drew tells the tale of transformation that began in an unsuspecting boy listening to the radio in his dad's car at the Lubeck Citgo, a place where the membrane between our world and the next was woven just a bit too thin. Or, it was a place that got a decent local radio signal. Introducing a new artist into the repertoire of Talking Tracks, and trying to hand off the handle on the bundle.

Drew's been busy loving life, but he hasn't forgotten about you. In this check in, Drew talks about the talk he recently attended with the Nashville producer Cason Cooley as well as things that are coming up this year that have him excited about life and music.

You might think Drew is running low on inspiration, based on the title of this episode. But maybe there's enough depth and inspiration in one man's catalog to justify it. If you've been running low on inspiration, if you've felt like all your plans and changes either fail or fade away, or if you've just ever lost at really cool jacket to a high efficiency washer, this is the episode for you.

Fighting the depths of February SADness. Drew looks for diversion in the incredible wealth of interviews from the Dick Cavett Show available on YouTube. Featured is a remarkable interview with then-recent Academy Award winner Marlon Brando and his controversial acceptance stand-in.

After last week's less than stellar attempt to find the handle on Jackson Browne, Drew has some thoughts. Instead of the autobiographical approach, which failed miserably, Drew opens up about his personal history with Jackson Browne's Late For The Sky and the difficult beauty of being human.

Lots to talk about this week. Quincy Jones has done two interviews, Paul Simon is doing a farewell tour, and Drew shares his feelings on the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch.

Drew gets back to the roots of Talking Tracks and tries to find the handle on the bundle for Jackson Browne. There's a lot to talk about here.

Drew learns that a listener has become a Petty fan through Talking Tracks, gets excited, mentions Neil Young, and then rambles about legacy, what are conservatives conserving, and the end of life as we know it.

Snowbound in Nashville, Drew is now talking about the difference between coffee and COFFEE, running out of Tom Petty materials, and the mixed bag of what you are told to want.

Given the setup and anticipation from last week, what else could Drew talk about? This week on Talking Tracks, we're talking about songs that rocked the world. A very small part of the world. Drew's World. Let's start with the Allmans.

After causing a brief row with some of his listeners due to the image posted alongside the podcast link for Monday's podcast, Drew addresses the issue head on. Nearly. First, let's talk about Drew's personal theory of relativity and "who sucked out the feeling" from a special version of a classic Nirvana track.

Talking Tracks returns in 2018 with a conversation between two ol' pals who have been having this conversation for maybe 10 years or more. Drew's old bandmate and close friend Jesse Thompson came over to talk about his work as a producer and tracks that inspire him.

In the last episode of 2017, Drew talks about the best New Years ever and a lot about his feelings on the latest Star Wars movie. SPOILER ALERT.

Drew talks about three songs that have caught his attention recently from artists he had never heard of or had never given a chance. Some new stuff. Some old stuff. Some new stuff from an old guy. We're giving songs a chance and looking into what images may lie below the surface.

Diving straight into people who TiVo for the ads, Jason Isbell's Instagram, the opiod epidemic, and what other people are saying about the new Taylor Swift record. Tune in and hang on.

Drew shifts his focus from lyrics to tracks, and the people who make them. No, I mean MAKE them. Sometimes the players themselves are so distinctive that you know who it is before the first word is sung.

Drew says this is his best Thursday check-in yet. At least it was maybe the most fun Thursday check-in. Strong coat game, finding a good bag, the sound of ladies' makeup.

Drew goes modern, and gets into the thick of it with the second round of answer songs. This time he focuses on a couple of songs from the last two years addressing race in western culture. Pairs well with last Monday's episode.

Drew has a couple more points to make about Monday's answers podcast after he makes a point about the superlatives of Thanksgiving. Happy T. Hanks giving day!

Post apocalyptic sailing songs and references to 15th century judgement day plays are too terrifying for most podcasts. This isn't most podcasts. Drew talks about songs that deserve an answer in the most terrifying podcast of ALL TIME. (This pod is rated G, and will scare absolutely no one.)

Drew talks about the origin of his Wikipedia obsession and tries to understand the mind of his 11 year old self. This rabbit hole goes deep, Alice.

Some songs give you something to chew on. Drew takes a minute to talk about some of the songs that have continued to prompt questions on repeated listening. Also, time travel.

Drew philosophizes on the lives of office drones, talks pre-internet movies, and toots his own modest and twangy bluegrass horn.

In which Drew makes his best effort at matching some songs with what he has been reading in William Faulkner's The Sound and The Fury. In a bizarre twist, Jerry Seinfeld makes and appearance.

Just a short announcement this week. This might be the format going forward: 3 weeks on, 1 week off. All tickets are non-refundable. See you next week.

Like a brilliant brain scientist, Drew talks about music and the cerebral cortex. Just for a minute. Then it is back to our regularly scheduled music geek chat.

Drew is joined by Charlie Murphey of Loose Ghost, who didn't really tell Drew what they were going to talk about until they sat down. Turns out we're talking Wilco.

Thursdays are when Drew wants to hear from you. Otherwise, he's just gonna talk about his favorite Casey Affleck movies and fall layering.