Why We Write with Kim Ruehl

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Danielle Howle talks about the intersection of songwriting, humor, and spirituality. Thanks for listening!

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Chris Pierce talks about working with Sunny War, touring with Neil Young, and what he's learned across three decades of songwriting.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Chris Pierce talks about working with Sunny War, touring with Neil Young, and what he's learned across three decades of songwriting.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' David Wilcox talks about the “communication between heart and mind” that's at the center of his songwriting.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Lori McKenna talks about trusting the process, being a Nashville songwriter who doesn't live in Nashville, and her new album '1988.'

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Aaron Burdett and Graham Sharp of Steep Canyon Rangers discuss how Burdett's addition to the group has influenced their songwriting.

This episode of 'Why We Write' features another round of Folk Debate Club. Panelists, including special guests Milk Carton Kids, discuss the relationship between soul and career.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Garrison Starr and Sean McConnell talk about how their duo, My Sister, My Brother, began at a songwriting retreat and what they have learned from each other.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Tim O'Brien talks about collaborating with Darrell Scott, Tom Paxton, and how writing songs can be like watching grass grow.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Rachel Baiman talks about the influence of Gillian Welch, her journey with bipolar disorder, and writing songs on the fiddle.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' the Milk Carton Kids are back to talk about their new album, little league baseball, Bob Dylan, Bill Withers, and more.

On this 50th episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Vance Gilbert talks about the influence of Loudon Wainwright, Duke Ellington, and what he gained from failure.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Drew Holcomb talks about fatherhood, John Prine, Anne Lamott, and how to masterfully write any kind of song.

It's Folk Debate Club time again, as 'Why We Write' host Kim Ruehl joins Basic Folk co-hosts Cindy Howes and Lizzie No, multi-instrumentalist Isa Burke, and folksinger Willi Carlisle to discuss authenticity.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Ellis Paul talks about the Boston songwriter scene, a special gift he got from Patty Griffin, and what he's learned from 30 years writing songs.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Eilen Jewell talks about divorce, Buddhism, hiking alone, and how songwriting has accompanied her through all of it.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Tom Paxton and Cathy Fink discuss topical songs, personal songs, and what they've learned from each other.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Joy Clark talks about New Orleans, how music is her ministry, and what she learned backstage at the Grammys.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Oliver Wood explores the intersection of jazz and blues, the importance of improvisation, and how craft can sometimes get in the way of magic.

On this episode of 'Why We Write,' Kim Ruehl joins with Basic Folk podcasters Cindy Howes and Lizzie No—and special guest Isa Burke—to debate lyrics versus melody. We call it Folk Debate Club.

On this episode of 'Why We Write,' members of bluegrass band Mile Twelve discuss their relationship with horses, meditation, and each other—and, of course, songwriting.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Tim Easton talks about busking in Europe, heartbreak and resilience, and what he learned about songwriting from reading David Sedaris.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' H.C. McEntire discusses writing programs, famous collaborators, land rights, and how all of this influenced the songwriting on her new album, 'Every Acre.'

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' singer-songwriter Jaimee Harris discusses her new album growing up in a tiny Texas town, wrestling with worthiness, and figuring out how deep a song can go.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Tommy Prine talks about coming out to his famous parents as a songwriter, finding his voice, and what he's learned along the way.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Slaid Cleaves talks about the tricks he has for writing good songs, thinking of them like crossword puzzles, and his high school band with Rod Picott.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Glen Phillips talks about how Rush inspired his early songwriting and how Matt the Electrician and Mary Oliver influence his work now.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Kyshona talks about the health scare that changed her life, the music therapy clients who inspired her, and how it all feeds her songwriting.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' John McCutcheon talks about the relationship between songwriting and social justice, and how he became a songwriter in the first place.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Amy Ray talks about religion, Native and activist wisdom, being a late bloomer, and how she has come to understand the influence her work has had on other artists.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Peter Mulvey talks about writing through hard times, collaborating with SistaStrings, and “the difference between artists and ordinary people.”

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Sara and Sean Watkins discuss growing up in front of an audience, and how 20 years of their Watkins Family Hour show has influenced their songwriting.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Robby Hecht talks about getting up in his feelings, navigating dry spells, and the early days when he was emulating Hootie & the Blowfish and Ben Folds.

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Peter Rowan talks about his long, storied career from his time playing with Bill Monroe to his newest album, 'Calling You from My Mountain.'

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Edie Carey talks about getting vulnerable and honest in her songwriting, and about why she wrote her first song, “Monkeybars.”

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Steve Forbert talks about how great songwriting happens, what he's learned from listening to other great songwriters, and his new album, 'Moving Through America.'

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Chastity Brown talks about Gillian Welch's “Jay-Z moment,” what folk music is, and how Whoopi Goldberg and Lauryn Hill helped her write a song on her new album, 'Sing to the Walls.'

On this episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl,' Nicki Bluhm talks about trust, resilience, and how getting divorced and moving on a lark to Nashville impacted her songwriting.

Dar Williams has been leading a songwriting retreat for ten years and has a book coming in September that is packed with her advice for how to write a song that matters. None of this is surprising. For around three decades, Williams has been one of the finest songwriters in the singer-songwriter realm. She's written … Continued

Leyla McCalla has long been one of the most under-celebrated folksingers working these days. Her albums have all been deep dives into important subject matter, exploring the human experience through the confluence of poetry and melody in ways few artists are capable of. As a multi-instrumentalist, she seems to follow her instruments into unexpected journeys. … Continued

Caroline Spence didn't actually move to Nashville to make it as a songwriter—that came later. But when she did start playing out around town, her beautiful, misleadingly simple songwriting caught on quickly. Her subjects are timeless things like love and loss, but she tackles them from a perspective that appreciates the complexity of commitment. Her melodies feel like they've always been around, and the relationship between her singing voice and her pen seems flawlessly connected.

Chris Thile has been a voracious musician for most of his life. His first hit band, Nickel Creek, formed when he was just 12 years old, and he has long since released an array of solo albums, as well as several with his band The Punch Brothers. On his latest solo album, Laysongs, Thile explores … Continued

Rod Picott has been a Nashville workhorse songwriter for years, across more than a dozen albums. His songwriting is thick in narrative wisdom and character-driven stories. But he's not just a songwriter—he's also published two poetry books and has been working on a novel. With his latest album nigh (Paper Hearts and Broken Arrows), we got into how the pandemic affected his songwriting process, his long-standing songwriter friendship with Slaid Cleaves, what he loves about Adele, and so much more.

Allison Russell has been writing incredible folk-rooted songs for around 20 years with her bands Po' Girl, Birds of Chicago, and Our Native Daughters. But it was her solo debut in 2021, Outside Child, that finally broke through and gained her a taller platform and a wider audience. Coming up on this year's Grammy Awards, where Russell is nominated in three categories—Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song, and Best Americana Album—we decided to share a special Grammy edition of the Why We Write podcast. This conversation about songwriting, and all the parts of life that touch and influence it, was recorded at the end of 2021. Russell's internet was interrupted, so she had to run to a nearby coffee shop for the recording, which explains some of the background noise. In a way, the bustle around her as she talks about what inspires her incredible songwriting, makes sense. Much bustle has been swirling around her for the past year. Whether or not she takes home Grammy Awards, Outside Child was widely lauded as one of the best recordings of last year, and we look forward to what else she has to bring over the next 20 years. So press play an enjoy this episode of Why We Write with Allison Russell.

Carrie Ann Hearst and Michael Trent have been writing and making music together for about decade. They've also been living together, touring together, raising kids together, and running a festival together near their home in Charleston, South Carolina. I was curious how this has affected the evolution of their songwriting. On this episode of 'Why We Write,' we got into that, the process of making their new album, 'Manticore,' and so much more.

It has been 56 years since Janis Ian released her debut song, “Society's Child,” when she was just 15 years old. She has long since weathered every evolution of the music industry, written innumerable songs, plus a memoir and a novel she's been working on. To boot, Ian is a frequent and beloved songwriting instructor. So it was with great relish that we joined her on Zoom for an in-depth discussion on writing. From her office in Florida, she dug into process, form, and why no topic is off-limits for a song.

Aoife O'Donovan calls herself a singer first, songwriter second. And yet, when you tune into her songwriting, she takes you places that few songwriters dare to go. She is a remarkably creative, singular artist and her latest album, Age of Apathy, is a testament to her ability to dive into all the dark corners of … Continued

Ask any songwriter working these days about Anaïs Mitchell's songwriting and their eyes go starry. Many go straight to the through-line emotional insight of her album, Young Man in America. Most will gush about the decade-or-more she spent writing a Tony-winning Broadway musical (Hadestown) steeped in some convergence of folk balladry, New Orleans second line, … Continued

Eliza Gilkyson has been making records for more than 50 years, and has covered everything from love and longing to political and topical songwriting. Her latest, 'Songs From the River Wind', has more of an old-West vibe as she takes a second look at some of the songs her father, Terry Gilkyson, wrote and recorded, and updates them from her own perspective. This kind of collaboration across time is not unfamiliar to folkies, but most songwriters who decide to rewrite old ballads will typically scrap all the lyrics and write them anew. Gilkyson, instead, decided to cowrite with her late father and present these adaptations alongside plenty of new originals. The result is a creative commentary on the legacies we leave and how the people who pick them up will do with them what they will. No better songwriter to do that than Eliza Gilkyson—the latest guest on 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl.'

Woody Guthrie has been gone for more than a half-century, but he remains one of the most prolific songwriters in American music history. Now, a new book has been released from his daughter Nora Guthrie, titled 'Woody Guthrie: Songs and Art, Words and Wisdom.' It presents a full, well-rounded view of Woody's songwriting as well as everything else he created. In the process of taking in his various paintings, drawings, journal entries, lists, poems, and so on, one can come to understand the way America's most iconic folksinger lived in the world and processed what he saw and felt. Nora even included a chapter of Woody's suggestions about how to write songs. We got into all of this and more in a recent discussion for the latest episode of 'Why We Write with Kim Ruehl.'

Singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt grew up attending Catholic school and exploring musical theater—'Wicked' was a favorite. And though those two facts may seem incongruous to some who turn on her 2019 debut, 'Expectations,' it makes some sense that the songwriter who wrote a remarkable song like “Normal” was the same person who listened over and over to “Defying Gravity” once upon a time. Indeed, if someone is going to lean into the feeling of being an outsider in their songwriting, there is no deeper cave to mine than Broadway and country music. So I was interested to talk to Pruitt about the intersection of all these things, and how she has found a way to navigate it all through her remarkably honest, daring songwriting while still in her 20s.