ifitbeyourwill Podcast #185 • Knife in the Water

Some records don't age—they deepen. Nearly thirty years after Knife in the Water quietly reshaped the edges of alt-country and slowcore, Aaron Blount joins ifitbeyourwill to revisit the landscapes that first inspired the band and the memories that still echo through its songs. It's a conversation about Austin before it changed, music that refuses easy categories, and the strange privilege of watching old songs find new lives in new listeners.

https://www.knifeinthewater.net/

ifitbeyourwill Podcast #182 • Andrew Sa

This week on ifitbeyourwill, Andrew Sa joins the podcast to talk about American Rough, his striking debut on Bloodshot Records. We trace a path from childhood karaoke nights and family musical roots to country music, identity, belonging, and the voices that shaped him along the way. It's a conversation about finding your place in a tradition while making room for something entirely your own.

https://www.andrewsamusic.com/

https://andrewsa.lnk.to/americanrough

Dutch Interior • Go Fuck Yourself • 2026

 

“Country? Slowcore? Piano Pop? This multifarious LA sextet can do it all.” — Uncut

“The music of [Dutch Interior] feels loose on purpose, and it’s held together by something intuitive, a shared language that doesn’t need translating.”
— Rolling Stone, “Artist You Need to Know”

“There’s something about [Dutch Interior’s] music that can’t be copied – a sense of character, an evocative-ness of atmosphere.” — Clash

“It’s easy to get caught up in the fun [Dutch Interior] whips up.” — Pitchfork

“Rustic music that is romantic but not sickly, earnest without becoming cringe, and completely free of ego.” — The FADER

Bandcamp

best of 2025 • Carson McHone • Pentimento

http://www.carsonmchonemusic.com/

Within seconds of Carson McHone’s Pentimento, one hears how the album organizes itself around this idea. Thrillingly alive in the music are exquisite articulations of pastoral folk with snatches of spoken word. Occasional riffs that call back to her roots in Texas build towards moments of organic and tactile rock. WRUV

Thanks Light... • Good Timin' • 2025

https://www.thankslight.com/

ifitbeyourwill S06 E04 • Case Oats

From scribbled journal entries to a critically acclaimed debut album on Merge Records, Casey Gomez Walker's artistic evolution is a testament to creative fluidity and unexpected paths. The frontwoman of Case Oats opens up about how her background in creative writing led to songwriting only after college, when a gifted guitar from a friend revealed music's accessibility.

"I was having a really bad time when I was like 22, 23. I was sick, sad. My best friend found this cheap electric guitar and picked it up for me when I was sick... it made me realize playing guitar was much easier than I thought." This pivotal moment sparked a musical journey that would eventually culminate in "The Last Missouri Exit," an album Casey describes as "accidentally" capturing the coming-of-age novel she'd been trying to write.

Casey's approach to creativity defies conventional boundaries—she doesn't separate songwriting from other forms of expression, instead collecting phrases, images, and character ideas that eventually find their perfect medium. Her partnership with Spencer Tweedy proved transformative, both personally and artistically. "When I met Spencer, it opened up this... he has lived his whole life knowing that you can make art and it can mean something to a lot of people," she reflects, crediting him with helping her embrace her identity as a musician.

The album's creation was unhurried and organic, with basic tracks recorded in a friend's basement and overdubs added as time allowed. After nearly a year of cold-emailing labels, Merge Records recognized the finished album's brilliance. Now touring with notable acts like Lucius and Superchunk while developing their second record, Casey finds particular joy in hearing how listeners connect with her music: "Having it released and everyone else experiencing it and then holding it back up to you is so cool... that they can relate to it and have the same emotional experience is really special."

Ready to discover your next favorite album? Listen to Casey Oats' "The Last Missouri Exit" and experience the distinctive voice and storytelling that's captivating audiences everywhere.

https://caseoats.com/

ifitbeyourwill S06E01 • Oh, Rose

Olivia Rose of Oh, Rose opens Season 6 with a candid conversation about musical origins, creative evolution, and embracing life's next chapters. From her early days in Asheville, North Carolina, where her friend's mother taught her guitar at age twelve, to becoming the frontwoman of a respected indie band, Olivia's journey reveals the deep connections between personal experience and artistic expression.

Music flows naturally for Olivia, who recalls waking up as a child with songs already formed in her mind. "I will just start, a song will just come to my head, I can sing about anything that I'm doing at any given moment," she explains. This instinctive approach to songwriting has matured over time, as she translates personal moments into universal themes that resonate with listeners. Her process often begins with a thought or phrase that strikes her as particularly true, developing into fully-formed compositions that sometimes reveal their deeper meanings long after they're written.

The conversation takes a meaningful turn as Olivia, expecting her first child in September, reflects on how motherhood will influence her creative path. Rather than viewing this transition with trepidation, she approaches it with curiosity and openness. Drawing fascinating parallels between the chaos of touring life and the unpredictability of parenthood, she shares advice from a bandmate who recently became a father: "I think you're going to be surprised at how equipped you are for this and how much being in a band and this strange form of chaos that we have chosen over the years is actually going to come in handy."

Olivia's recently released EP "For Art" stands as both a creative milestone and a musical gift for her unborn child, who has been present for the creation of these songs. Though she plans to take a well-deserved break from performing, she assures us that her musical journey continues: "As long as I am writing and playing and recording music, O Rose will continue to exist and evolve." Her story reminds us that art, like life, thrives through transformation and growth.

https://www.ohrosemusic.com/

Exploring themes of long-term commitment and partnership—both in romantic and platonic relationships, as well as to artistic practice itself—the six tracks on 'For Art' navigate the complexities of closeness. Wading through feelings of disillusionment, the album is ultimately a hopeful work, one of recommitment and perseverance.

Golden Apples • Mind • 2025

“Mid-century folk rock meets Stereolab and Yo La Tengo on this sprawling record of bedroom psychedelic from [Golden Apples].” - Bandcamp

"[‘Noonday Demon’] chugs to life like a flickering television, with gritty guitars beefing up the textured soundscape.” - Paste

"[‘Noonday Demon’ is] a shimmering track that blurs the line between ’90s shoegaze and ’60s psychedelia.” - Brooklyn Vegan

The Bones of J.R. Jones • Shameless • 2025

Website

“‘Shameless’ is taking the long way home to retread your past,” says The Bones of J.R. Jones (aka Jonathon Linaberry). “The inevitable inner conflict and perhaps guilt that rise up from past decisions, that were maybe made in haste and in passion. I think we all struggle with the ‘what could have been’ question. What arrogant fool can’t look back and wonder? I am just trying to recognize that in this song.”

David Lowery • Frozen Sea • 2025

Over the years, many have encouraged me to write an autobiography. However, it never really appealed to me.

So, in lieu of an uninteresting written autobiography I’ve made this record. I do this not so much to tell my own story but to pay tribute to my mother, father, sisters, extended family, friends, and those who have shared their lives with me.

Fathers, Sons and Brothers available to pre-order now 3-LP Ltd edition Red, White & Blue vinyl gatefold set with 12-page booklet, a 2-CD set with 20-page booklet.

PRE-ORDER

David Lowery, chief singer-songwriter and frontman from the aforementioned bands, is now taking a much different approach to his songwriting and is singing about something he's really never dug that deep into - himself. 

On his latest sprawling 28-song solo album, Fathers, Sons and Brothers, Lowery lets his memory, and pen, traverse back to some of his earliest memories as a child in an English seaside town ("Frozen Sea"). Throughout the length of the album, he chronologically takes us through his youth (attending a Spanish bullfight with his family, where he asks "Papa, do they really kill the bull?") and carries on through his coming-of-age period (re-locating to California's Coachella Valley with his family in the '70s, as well as a humorous tale of landing in Disneyland jail after getting sh*t-faced on vodka and mushrooms at the theme park, and standing up to bullies in his disabled sister's defense).

David recalls moving away from his loving parents' home ("Mom, I'm Living the Life"), starting a band ("I Wrote A Song Called Take The Skinheads Bowling") and then goes onto detail an early love that sadly disintegrated due to his own self-described anger and selfishness on, perhaps, the album's most moving track ("Mexican Chickens").

The album further delves into the ups and downs of his music careers with both groups (tapping into CVB band tensions on "We Hate You" and Cracker's quick rise to fame in the early/mid '90s on "It Don't Last Long"). He recalls hooking up with his future ex-wife in Richmond, VA ("Pretty Girl from Oregon Hill"), and details friends (Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous on "Mark Loved Dogs and Babies"), family, children, divorce and more. 

By the end of this lengthy, insightful album, you get the feeling that you really know this artist, how he thinks, and have a good sense about who he really is... warts and all. Just as every good autobiography worth its salt does. Thankfully this one just happens to be bound with some truly gorgeous melodies and songs. 

Click here for Album Credits and Lyrics

best of 2024 • Hurray for the Riff Raff • Buffalo

Linktreelinktr.ee/hurrayfortheriffraff

Following a performance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Hurray for the Riff Raff has released an official music video for their song “Buffalo.” One of many highlights from The Past Is Still Alive, the 2024 Nonesuch album that Pitchfork just declared one of The Best of the Decade So Far, “Buffalo” is a love song about survival, patience, miracles, and memories of real people and places that bandleader Alynda Segarra (they/them) experienced during trips to New Mexico. In the video, directed by The Past Is Still Alive collaborator Jeff Perlman, Segarra takes over the Field Museum in their brand new home of Chicago, roams alongside a herd of wild buffalo, and shines a light on extinct and endangered species. none

ifitbeyourwill S04E17• David Lowery of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven

What happens when the worlds of music and mathematics collide? David Lowery, from the iconic bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, joins us to share his intriguing journey from a math enthusiast to a prolific songwriter. Discover how his passion for numbers influences his unique, almost scientific approach to creating music. David also lets us into his world of hobbies, including amateur radio, and shares insights into his solo projects born out of the creative solitude during the COVID-19 pandemic. This conversation is a testament to Lowery's innovative spirit, where even the unlikeliest of inspirations can spark musical genius.

Reimagine the past with Cracker's "Alternative History" project as we explore the motivations behind this retrospective collection. David opens up about the band's quest to offer a genuine narrative free from the confines of algorithm-driven playlists and licensing hurdles. We delve into the creative process behind the alternate takes and unique collaborations with artists like Leftover Salmon and members of Drive-By Truckers, giving fans an authentic glimpse into Cracker’s evolution. Moreover, David shares his experiences at the University of Georgia, where he champions fair practices in the music industry while fostering the next generation of artists.

For aspiring musicians, the path to success is often fraught with challenges, but David offers invaluable advice. From the significance of producing a vast catalog of music to the irreplaceable value of live performances, he emphasizes building a real connection with your audience. We also discuss the importance of diversifying income sources and maintaining a balance to prevent creative burnout. Join us as we conclude with a poignant reflection on the emotional toll of farewells, capturing the bittersweet nature of goodbyes through poetic expression. Don't miss the upcoming release of "Alternate History: A Cracker Retrospect," which promises a fresh take on the band's legacy.

 

https://crackerband.lnk.to/alternative_history

www.crackersoul.com

To the uninitiated Cracker might seem to be just another 90s alternative rock band. However, fans recognize that the band is much more than that, having skillfully explored a wide array of styles over nearly 35 years.Regrettably, when newcomers hear a Cracker song and wish to learn more about the band, they often start with algorithmic streaming playlists. These playlists are typically limited to the dozen or so tracks with the most streams. As a result, these playlists are dominated by a few albums from the early 1990s, the heyday of alternative rock radio. There are also a few “greatest hits” compilations for Cracker available, but these at best cover only the first third of the band’s 35-year career. Both of these sources overlook some of the band’s most critically acclaimed and fan-favorite work. read more…

https://crackerband.lnk.to/sickofgoodbyes

ifitbeyourwill S03 E35 • The Brother Brothers

https://www.thebrotherbrothersmusic.com/

How does the unique bond between identical twins shape their musical journey and creative process? Today's episode features the Brother Brothers, David and Adam, as they walk us through their deeply intertwined musical experiences. From the early days influenced by their parents' eclectic record collection to the significant impact of the Kerrville Folk Festival on their songwriting, you'll hear firsthand how these elements have molded their sound. We'll explore the pivotal moments that nudged them from instrumentalists to celebrated songwriters, and how the songwriting community at Kerrville served as a catalyst for their development.

In the second half of our conversation, we uncover the intricate dynamics that make their collaboration so special. Adam opens up about David's role as the principal songwriter and how their sibling synergy fosters an environment of creative growth. We delve into their meticulous harmonizing techniques and how they balance simplicity with complexity in their melodies. Finally, get a glimpse into their future plans as Adam prepares for a bustling year touring with Levi Turner and David embarks on a series of intimate solo performances. Don't miss this intimate and insightful discussion with the Brother Brothers about music, family, and what lies ahead.

“the warm harmonies and silky melodies of identical twins David and Adam Moss evoke the kind of ’60s-era folk tunes that reverberated through dark, wood-paneled bars in the Village… If these brothers aren’t among the Americana Music Association’s nominees for Emerging Artist or Duo-Group, I want a recount.” — No Depression

BMX Bandits • Setting Sun • 2023

“Britain’s ultimate cult group”, The Guardian

https://www.tapeterecords.de/artists/bmx-bandits

Setting Sun" is the first single from BMX Bandits' forthcoming album "Dreamers on The Run". "Dreamers on The Run" will be BMX Bandits twelfth studio album. Chief Bandit, Duglas Stewart started conceptualising and writing material for "Dreamers on The Run" in 2014. It was planned to be the group's most ambitious album project so far. The project was abandoned in 2015 due to Duglas going through a period of mental and physical health worries. The album will bring together material originally written in 2014 with new material created by Duglas and his current main collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Pattie. Setting Sun is a song about the unifying everyday struggles of living day to day. Musically it is classic Bandits uplifting pop but with a dark underbelly.

Skydiggers • Bide Your Time • 2023

linktr.ee/skydiggers

“These songs carry a common mood that is somewhere between wistful and contemplative”, Andy explains. “The architecture of these stories allowed us to draw on our musical influences and immerse our listeners into each song’s time and place.”

Podcast #16 • Mister Rabbit

Jeff van Helvoort and Mitch Clark from Hamilton's Mister Rabbit joined me on the latest episode of ifitbeyourwill podcast. Such a fun and honest conversation about making music for the love of it! Mister Rabbit is an assemble of seasoned musician coming together with a common goal; to rock this world. They play a wonderful alt-rock style of music that is both familiar yet refreshing, taking their cues from such greats as Phoebe Bridgers, Constantines and early Wilco. Their latest record dropped March 30th, End of History Illusion. Be sure to stick around at the end of the podcast for the featured track, Orphan Wells. 🐇 

Thorsten Nesch • Brothers for a While • 2022

The album cover was shot in the mid 90s in Himare, Albania, traveling with a friend. The stray dogs gathered there, maybe because the day before a butcher had gutted a goat there, while fighting off the dogs with a piece of wood.

thorstennesch.com

pigeon pit • feather river canyon blues • 2022

pigeon pit is a collection of stories wrapped in sunburned skin and a brave heart from a small beach town.

Mort Rose • Je dois savoir • 2021

Mort Rose is a Montreal based rock band founded in 2016. They rapidly made a name for themselves in the Montreal underground with their critically acclaimed debut “Nés pour aimer”. The result is a timely offering that perfectly reflects the urgency and the tension of our generation.

Much darker and more personal than its predecessor, "Au revoir cowboys" is also full of spontaneity and authenticity. The songs on the album feel deconstructed and unfinished, yet are filled with great melodies, energetic rhythms and meticulous arrangements. 

The album, which was recorded in an immersive creative bubble, represents a total rebirth for the band. The record is psychedelic yet accessible, old-school yet fresh. It is set for release on September 10th 2021.

JD Pinkus • Woke Up Dead • 2021

"For fans of the cacophony that the Surfers and the Melvins have wrought through their respective careers, JD’s “spacegrass” stylings are a drastic shift towards the minimalistic and quiet."

- Hollywood Life

 "rich in the blues."

- Indie Music

"the video gives a thump of colorful attitude to Pinkus’ picking that would make the late Ralph Stanley nod in approval."

- Glide

"Pinkus’ plaintive plucks at the banjo are warped to give us a feeling of being half in the nether world"

- BPM

"the album is firmly rooted in the sounds of back country Appalachia, in true Pinkus style, that ye olde instrument is warped into psychedeliac, and oft sinister, fields."

- PunkNews

"...pretty much just him, his instrument and some deep thoughts."

- Brooklyn Vegan