Beginnings

On today's episode I talk to musician James Yorkston. Originally from the village of Kingsbarns, Fife in Scotland, James has been playing music since he was young, and was an integral early member of the Fence Collective, a collaborative group of musicians that included groups like The Beta Band. James spent years honing his craft was eventually championed by John Peel and John Martyn after he sent them tapes of his music. This led to him being signed by Domino who have subsequently released most of his albums including 2019's critically acclaimed The Route to the Harmonium and his latest album with the Second Hand Orchestra The Wide, Wide River, which is already one of the best albums of the year. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician James Yorkston. Originally from the village of Kingsbarns, Fife in Scotland, James has been playing music since he was young, and was an integral early member of the Fence Collective, a collaborative group of musicians that included groups like The Beta Band. James spent years honing his craft was eventually championed by John Peel and John Martyn after he sent them tapes of his music. This led to him being signed by Domino who have subsequently released most of his albums including 2019's critically acclaimed The Route to the Harmonium and his latest album with the Second Hand Orchestra The Wide, Wide River, which is already one of the best albums of the year. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to solo artist and principal songwriter of the band Hop Along, Frances Quinlan. Growing up in Boyertown, PA, Frances recorded their first album as Hop Along during their freshman year of college at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Hop Along soon became a full band and with their third album Painted Shut, the group signed to Saddle Creek. Their fourth album Bark Your Head Off, Dog was met with near-universal acclaim, and just one year ago right before the pandemic, the label released Frances' solo album Likewise, which is just wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian and actor Mark Little. Originally from New Westminster, British Columbia, Mark has been writing and performing comedy for almost two decades. His sketch group Picnicface gained some acclaim during the heyday of internet videos, leading to their own series, which was executive-produced by Mark McKinney. He's also known for the popular shows Mr. D, Gary and His Demons, and one of my favorites Cavendish, a show Mark co-created that is easily one of the funniest things of the last few years. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Richard Dawson. Originally from Newcastle upon Tyne, avant-garde folk musician Richard Dawson has been performing and releasing albums for over a decade, each one released to great critical acclaim. Starting with 2014's Nothing Important, Domino began releasing his music, and his latest album 2020, which was released in 2019, is absolutely one of the best albums of the last few years. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Ian MacKaye. Originally from Washington DC, Ian is a guitarist and singer who founded Dischord Records as a teenager in 1980 with Jeff Nelson. Ian and Jeff went on to form the defining DC hardcore band Minor Threat, and in 1986, Ian then formed Fugazi with Joe Lally, Brendan Canty and Guy Picciotto. Over 20+ years the band has released seven albums and toured the world extensively covering all fifty United States, Europe, Australia, South America, Japan and many points in between. Ian has also played with a number of other bands including Teen Idles, Egghunt and Embrace, and since 2001, he's played in The Evens, a duo with Amy Farina, and most recently the trio Coriky, whose first album was released just last summer. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Mary Timony. Originally from Washington DC, Mary began playing in bands in the early '90s, first with Autoclave, and after they broke up, with Helium. Between 1992 and 1997, they released two full-length albums, three EPs and several singles on Matador Records. After Helium split up, she released a number of solo albums, as well as albums with two other bands Wild Flag and Ex Hex, both of which were released on Merge. On January 15th, Matador will be re-releasing her first solo album Mountains! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comics writer Si Spurrier. Raised just outside London, Si had a number of different jobs before he began writing for comics. He started with the British small press, after which, he created a number of series for the beloved UK cult comic 2000AD. This success led to work in the American mainstream, which includes runs on Hellblazer, X-Men: Legacy, X-Force, The Dreaming, and the GLAAD award-winning Star Wars: Doctor Aphra. It also led to the opportunity to write a great deal of creator-owned work here, such as The Spire, Coda, Alienated, Six-Gun Gorilla and much more - all of which are well worth your time. Recently, it was announced that Si would be writing a new book as part of Jonathan Hickman's revamped X-Men line! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer Chris Hedges. Chris is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who was a foreign correspondent for fifteen years for The New York Times, where he served as the Middle East Bureau Chief and Balkan Bureau Chief for the paper. He previously worked overseas for The Dallas Morning News, The Christian Science Monitor, and NPR. In addition, he writes a weekly column for the online magazine Scheerpost and is host of the Emmy Award­–winning RT America show On Contact. Hedges, who holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard University, is the author of the bestsellers American Fascists, Days of Destruction­, Days of Revolt, and was a National Book Critics Circle finalist for War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. He has taught at Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University, and the University of Toronto and currently teaches college credit courses in the New Jersey prison system. (His column that we discuss in this episode can be found here!) This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to TV writer and showrunner Steve Conrad. Originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Steve has been writing screenplays for over two decades, with his notable films including The Weather Man, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Secret Life of Walter MItty and Wonder. In 2015, he started developing one of the first shows on Amazon Prime, Patriot. Though it only lasted two seasons, it is easily one of the best series of the last decade. His latest series Perpetual Grace, LTD debuted on Epix last year. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Chad Clark. Originally from Harlem, Chad moved to DC as a teenager, where he eventually became part of the DC punk scene. He formed his first band Smart Went Crazy while still in high school, eventually releasing two albums on Dischord, the second of which - Con Art - was named by Pitchfork as one of the best albums of the 1990s. After Smart Went Crazy broke up, Chad formed Beauty Pill in 2001. Since then, they've released a number of EPs and albums, and their latest, 2015's Beauty Pill Describes Things as They Are, garnered accolades from NPR, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and numerous other publications. Their latest single "Instant Night" was released at the end of October, and it might well be the best song released in 2020! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to journalist David Sirota. In David's long career, he has done a great deal of work both inside politics and outside, reporting on politics. In the early aughts, he worked as a political strategist and campaign advisor on a number of progressive campaigns, soon after transitioning to journalism, which included everything from a nationally syndicated newspaper column to investigative reporting. His work has garnered him a number of awards including the prestigious Izzy Award for Journalism, and he has written three books, two of which are New York Times Bestsellers. This last year has been a busy one for David, not only did he serve as the speechwriter for Bernie Sanders' primary campaign, but in addition, he is the publisher of The Daily Poster, an editor at large at Jacobin Magazine and a columnist at The Guardian. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Diane Cluck. Originally from Lancaster, PA, Diane began playing music in grade school. She started to perform publicly in New York in the early 2000s, in the same LES folk scene that included Jeffrey Lewis, Regina Spektor and Kimya Dawson, and since then has recorded and released over a dozen albums and compilations. Her latest Common Wealth was just released in June, and it's just wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Thurston Moore. Originally from Coral Gables, Florida, Thurston eventually ended up in New York in the late-70s, just as a vibrant musical scene was exploding, which included post-punk, new wave, no wave, jazz and numerous other styles. After playing in a few different bands, he met Kim Gordon and they eventually formed Sonic Youth in 1981. Over the next three decades, Sonic Youth released 15 amazing albums and became one of the most well-known indie rock bands. Outside of Sonic Youth, Thurston founded and runs the Ecstatic Peace! record label, has collaborated with everyone from Glenn Branca to Yoko Ono, and started the band Chelsea Light Moving in 2012. In addition to all this, Thurston has recorded a number of albums under his own name, and his latest By the Fire was just released at the end of September as part of the Daydream Library Series. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and director Silas Howard. Silas is an award winning director and writer whose recent work includes executive producing and directing on FX's Emmy-nominated series Pose. Other TV credits include directing on multiple seasons of Amazon's Emmy award-winning Transparent, NBC's This Is Us, HBO's High Maintenance, Netflix's Tales of the City, Apple TV's Dickinson, as well as the new Josh Thomas show Everything's Gonna Be Okay. In addition to all of his directing work, Silas was a founding member of the seminal queer punk band Tribe 8 and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2015. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Owen Pallett. Since the age of three, Owen has been playing violin, and as a young teenager, he composed his first piece. This started him on the path to making music for a living. On his own, he's written and recorded a number of great albums both as Final Fantasy and under his own name. Additionally, Owen's written for and toured with a number of great bands including Jim Guthrie, The Hidden Cameras, Beirut and perhaps most notably Arcade Fire for their albums Funeral, Neon Bible and The Suburbs. Back at the end of May, Domino released Owen's fifth album Island, and it's absolutely wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Tim Smith. From 1999 to 2012, Tim was the singer, guitarist and principal songwriter for the indie rock band Midlake. During his tenure, the band recorded a number of EPs and three highly-regarded albums Bamnan and Slivercork, The Trials of Van Occupanther, and The Courage of Others. In 2012 though, Tim left the band to pursue his own projects, and since then has been recording under the name Harp. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to rapper Psalm One AKA Cristalle Bowen AKA Hologram Kizzie. Originally from the Southside of Chicago, Cristalle was set to be a chemist before creating a hip hop album for her junior Creative Writing project. That album led to some meetings, and eventually she signed with Minneapolis indie hip hop label Rhymesayers. They released her album The Death of Frequent Flyer in 2006, but after a number of years, Cristalle parted ways with them. She started releasing music on her own under a few different monikers, and her latest as Psalm One, Flight of the Wig, is one of the best of her entire career. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to TV writer Brian Gallivan. Originally from the Boston area, Brian was a middle school language arts teacher before taking a risk to perform and write for a living, starting first with Boston's Improv Asylum and then, after moving to Chicago, with Second City. Since moving to Los Angeles, Brian has written for a number of shows including Happy Endings, Future Man, Splitting Up Together and created the CBS series The McCarthys. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Shirley Collins MBE (Yes, Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire!). Shirley is an English folk singer, song collector and perhaps the greatest living embodiment of the musical threads that connect England with its history. In 1959, she assisted Alan Lomax on his famous folk song collecting trip in the Southern US, and as a significant presence during the Second English Folk Revival in the 1960s, Shirley formed a duo with her sister Dolly, who accompanied Shirley's raw and direct voice on piano and portative organ; together they recorded the startling Anthems In Eden and Love, Death & The Lady. After almost four decades of silence though, Shirley started recording and releasing material again, starting with 2016's Lodestar and her latest Heart's Ease, which was just released on Domino in July! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actor and musician Josh Radnor. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Josh got his start in New York theater before being cast as the lead in the wildly-successful CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother in 2005. He has written and/or directed two films, Happythankyoumoreplease and Liberal Arts, and starred in two series since How I Met Your Mother ended: Mercy Street and Rise, and is currently part of the ensemble cast of Amazon's new show Hunters. In addition to all of this, Josh has been writing music with Australian indie rocker Ben Lee for a number of years. Their first album as Radnor and Lee was released in 2017, and their latest, Golden State, was just released in May on Flower Moon Records! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Mac McCaughan. Mac is a singer, songwriter and the co-founder of Merge Records, one of the most influential labels in indie rock. As a performer, he's the lead singer and guitarist of the genre-defining indie rock group Superchunk, who have released 11 albums since 1989, including the most recent 2018's What a Time to Be Alive. On his own, he's released numerous albums as both Portastatic and under his own name, and in addition to all of this, he also scores films. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Sabrina Ellis. Originally from Houston, Sabrina has been a mainstay of Austin indie rock for years. In 2008, they formed the indie rock band A Giant Dog, and since then, the band has released five albums, including a full-length cover of Arcade Fire's Neon Bible. Sabrina also co-founded the bands Heart Bones, with Har Mar Superstar, and Sweet Spirit. Sweet Spirit have released three albums, and their latest, Trinidad, was just released on Merge a few months ago. And it's fantastic! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Andrew Becker. Andrew began his musical career with the post-Faraquet Dischord Records band Medications, drumming on their first few records before moving to New York to form the band Screens. But it was with his move to Los Angeles that Andrew began recording mostly on his own under the moniker Human Potential. He's released four albums under this name. I'm Glad You're Alive, his most recent, produced by Woods' Jarvis Taveniere, was just released earlier this year on What Delicate Recordings! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Sam Prekop. Sam grew up in Chicago and while he went to art school, forming the band Shrimp Boat sent him off in a completely different direction. When the band broke up in the early '90s, he formed The Sea and Cake with Archer Prewitt of The Coctails and Tortoise's John McEntire, and over the last two and a half decades, they've released 11 albums, the most recent being 2018's Any Day. As a solo artist, Sam has released four albums, all on Thrill Jockey, and his latest Comma will be out this September! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Jason Williamson. Originally from Grantham, Lincolnshire, Jason spent several years pursuing music unsuccessfully both with various groups and as a solo singer-songwriter and working as a session musician with a number of bands including Spiritualized. It was when Jason met Andrew Fearn though and they formed Sleaford Mods that things started to take off. Since 2007, they've released ten albums to much acclaim, and their latest All That Glue (a collection of crowd pleasers, B sides and rarities) was just released in May on Rough Trade. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer Dave Hill. Dave is originally from Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he was raised in a family of carnies, gamblers, hell-raisers and story-tellers. He spent over a decade traveling the United States and Canada as a union organizer before settling down in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and three children. He was a regular contributor to Grantland and a writer for the UCB Theater in New York City, and his work has been featured on This American Life, in New York Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Times, GQ, McSweeneys, and many more. David's first book, "The Vapors", a hybrid memoir/history of Hot Springs was just published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and I can't recommend it more! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Shamir Bailey. Originally from North Las Vegas, Shamir's music career took off relatively quickly after signing to XL Recordings at the age of 19. The push and pull between what Shamir wanted to do and what the label wanted him to do though eventually ended with them dropping him a few years later. After a psychiatric hospitalization, Shamir began making the music he wanted to make, and his latest album Cataclysm, just released in March, is incredible. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician, producer, composer and founding member of Deerhoof, Greg Saunier. After graduating from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1991, Greg formed the band Nitre Pit, which a few years later became Deerhoof, and in the last 25 years, the band has released 15 albums on labels like Kill Rock Stars and Joyful Noise. Outside of Deerhoof, Greg has played with many bands, including Nervous Cop with Zach Hill and Joanna Newsom, and Rolling Stone called Greg, Zach and Lightning Bolt's Brian Chippendale "a generation of trailblazing 21st-century avant-rock percussionists". Deerhoof's latest album Future Teenage Cave Artists was just released at the end of May. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to cartoonist Ben Passmore. Originally from Massachusetts, Ben has been writing and illustrating comics since he was a child. He's created comics like Daygloayhole, the Eisner Award-nominated and Ignatz Award-winning comic collection Your Black Friend, and BTTM FDRS with Ezra Claytan Daniels, which was published by Fantagraphics last year. In addition, he is a regular contributor to the daily satirical publication The Nib.. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and stand-up Dan Levy. Originally from Stamford, CT, Dan has been performing comedy since he was nine years old, and while in college, performed stand-up as much as possible. This lead to him winning "Funniest College Comedian in America" at the 2001 Aspen U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, which jumpstarted his career. He's hosted shows on MTV, has his own Comedy Central Presents special, and has written for numerous shows including Whitney, Mulaney, and The Goldbergs. This all culminated in the creation of his own show Indebted, based on his relationship with his parents, which is now streaming on Hulu. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Thao Nguyen. Originally from Falls Church, VA, Thao began playing music as a young teenager, but it was with the release of her first album Like the Linen in 2005 that her actual career began. Her next album We Brave Bee Stings and All, her first with the Get Down Stay Down, was released on Kill Rock Stars to general acclaim, and since then, her albums, whether with the Get Down Stay Down or collaborations with musicians like Mirah, are all fantastic and well worth your time. Her latest, Temple, was just released in May by Ribbon Music. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Eisner-Award winning comics creator Rob Guillory. Born, raised and currently based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Guillory is most known for his eight-year run on Image Comics' Chew. The book went on to achieve much success, winning two Harvey Awards (including Best New Talent for Guillory), two Eisner Awards, and has been translated into a dozen or so languages. Rob is currently the writer & artist on his hit creator-owned series Farmhand from Image Comics. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Jimmy Flemion. Jimmy and his brother Dennis began playing music together in the late '70s in a number of different groups, eventually forming the band The Frogs in 1980. Since then, the band has vacillated between cult status and mainstream success, championed by such musicians as Billy Corgan, Kurt Cobain, Beck and Eddie Vedder, and releasing albums on labels like Matador and Scratchie. Though Dennis passed away in 2012, Jimmy continues to write and record music, recently touring backed by Even Dando of The Lemonheads. At the beginning of April, The End of All Music released The Frogs' previously-unreleased very first studio album 1st. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to playwright and composer Michael R. Jackson. Originally from Detroit, Michael holds a BFA and MFA in playwriting and Musical Theatre Writing from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He wrote book, music, and lyrics for the musicals White Girl In Danger and A Strange Loop, which received its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in New York City in 2019. A Strange Loop became an off-Broadway hit garnering Michael a number of nominations including the Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards among many others. For his work Michael has also received a Whiting Award for drama, a Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting, and most recently, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Dennis Callaci. Raised in Upland, California, Dennis has bounced around Southern California his entire life. He runs the legendary indie record label Shrimper, noted for bringing forth the earliest recordings from Amps For Christ, Woods, Franklin Bruno, Lou Barlow's Sentridoh, The Mountain Goats, Dump, and a few hundred other releases over the course of the last thirty years. He is also in the band Refrigerator who have released twelve records over those thirty years, as well as solo records by Callaci & collaborations with John Davis, The Debts, and Simon Joyner. Dennis' latest project, 100 Cassettes, which is a quasi-memoir based on his installation at the dA Center for The Arts, was just published in February by Pelekinesis. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Anna Burch. Originally from St. Joseph, Michigan, Anna began touring with her band Frontier Ruckus at the age of 18, and eventually went on to play in the Ann Arbor-based Failed Flowers. But it wasn't until she was almost 30 that she started to write and record her own music. Her first album as herself, Quit the Curse, was released by Polyvinyl in 2018, and her latest If You're Dreaming, was just released at the beginning of April. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Jeff Parker. Originally from Hampton, Virginia, Jeff has been playing music since he was 8-years-old. Eventually ending up in Chicago, he became a member of the experimental post-rock group Tortoise in 1996 and also co-founded Isotope 217 and The Chicago Underground Trio. He's worked with everyone from Meshell Ndegeocello to Smog, and has released six solo albums. His latest, Suite for Max Brown, was released earlier this year on the Nonesuch imprint International Anthem. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Nika Nemirovsky AKA NIIKA. Born in Uzbekistan in the wake of the USSR's dissolution, Nika and her family immigrated to Chicago when she was very young. Her music reflects being at the nexus of a number of different cultures, both on her 2017 EP Honest Dancing and her debut album Close But Not Too Close will be out May 15th. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian and actor Larry Hankin. Originally from Long Island, Larry got his start doing stand-up in Greenwich Village as a contemporary of Lenny Bruce and Woody Allen. After moving to Chicago and joining Second City, he and a number of other improvisers formed The Committee in San Francisco. Larry is one of the most well-known character actors in Hollywood, and trying to list his numerous credits is nigh impossible, but a few of the more well-known ones are Escape from Alcatraz, Friends, Seinfeld, Breaking Bad, Barry, Billy Madison, Star Trek: Voyager, Laverne & Shirley and over a hundred other roles. In addition, The Loopholes Dossier, a number of writings based on characters he created on stage, was released late last year by BookBaby! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actress Sarah Bolger. Originally from Dublin, Sarah started acting at a young age, and since then has been in many films and television shows. Early in her career, she starred in Jim Sheridan's Academy Award nominated film In America and she received a number of critics association nominations as well as an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her role. Other films include The Spiderwick Chronicles, End of Sentence and the upcoming A Good Woman Is Hard to Find. On Television, Sarah's been in a number of great shows including The Tudors, Into the Badlands, Agent Carter, Counterpart and currently, she stars in FX's Sons of Anarchy spin-off Mayans M.C. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Jamie Drake. Based in Los Angeles, Jamie has been making music for a long time, though only released her first album When I Was Yours in 2010. She's performed in the Off-Broadway folk musical Lonesome Traveler and collaborated with everyone from Ed Helms to Moby to Tim Robbins. Her latest album Everything's Fine was released late last year, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's special 10th anniversary episode, I talk to musician Stephin Merritt. Stephin is the founder and primary songwriter behind the band The Magnetic Fields. Started in 1991 in Boston, the band has released 11 albums including the three-volume 69 Love Songs and his most recent 5-LP collection 50 Song Memoir. In addition to The Magnetic Fields, Stephin also performs in The 6ths, The Gothic Archies and Future Bible Heroes; has scored a number of films and TV shows; and has even collaborated on a handful of musical theater productions. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to TV writer Josh Siegal. Originally from Niskayuna, New York, Josh took a non-traditional route into TV writing, but that route led to some amazing jobs on shows like Viva Variety, the original UCB sketch show, Crossballs, Monk, 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Great News and currently The Good Place, which is in the middle of finishing up its final season on NBC. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Alexandra Levy AKA Ada Lea. Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Alexandra was on the path to become a professional competitive skater, but the end of her skating career led to an artistic one as a painter, visual artist and musician. Her debut album what we say in private was released last summer on Saddle Creek, and it is incredible! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Mikal Cronin.Originally from Laguna Beach, CA, Mikal's been playing music professionally for almost a decade as a member of bands like Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, King Tuff, Shannon & the Clams and many more. He also has been playing bass in Ty Segall's touring band for the past 8 years. On his own, he's recorded four albums: Mikal Cronin on Trouble in Mind Records and MCII and MCIII on Merge. Merge also released his latest album Seeker at the end of October, and it's really wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to pianist and composer Alexandra Stréliski. Raised between Paris and Montreal, Alexandra didn't set out to make music for a living, but after a long night of the soul, so to speak, dedicated herself to writing and performing. In 2010, she recorded her first album Pianoscope and late last year, her latest album Inscape was released on Secret City Records. In addition to these, she's also composed the soundtracks for a number of director Jean-Marc Vallée's projects including the films Dallas Buyers Club and Demolition and the HBO series Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comics writer Magdalene Visaggio. Born in Long Island but raised in Richmond, VA, Magdalene has been making comics for over a decade, but it wasn't until 2016 that she began to garner acclaim thanks to her series Kim & Kim, which netted Magdalene both an Eisner Award nomination and a GLAAD Award nomination. Since then she's written a number of great comics including Eternity Girl, Morning in America and currently, she writes Doctor Mirage for Valiant. In addition to all this, her series Vagrant Queen was bought by Syfy and will be premiering on a television near you sometime in 2020. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Patrick Stickles of the band Titus Andronicus. Originally from Glen Rock, New Jersey, Patrick started Titus Andronicus in 2005. Since then, the band has garnered a great deal of critical praise and commercial success. Their first three albums were released on Troubleman and XL, but starting with The Most Lamentable Tragedy, they've been part of Merge Records. Their latest album, An Obelisk, was just released this past June, and it is wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Cara Beth Satalino of the band Outer Spaces. Originally from the small rural town Pittstown, NY, Cara has been playing music since she was young. She moved to Athens, GA after college and formed the band Witches, a fantastic punk trio which put out two 7"s and a full-length record, Forever, and a few years later formed the band Outer Spaces. As Outer Spaces, Cara's written a number of EPs as well as two LPs, 2016's A Shedding Snake, and her latest Gazing Globe, which was released earlier in the summer on Western Vinyl. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.