Hailing from from Rancho Cucamonga California, Shotgun Jefferson is an original high energy Country Rock band that leaves the crowd remembering its name. Here, member Cory A. Tarallo answers his Essential 8 and briefly talks life on the road, beef jerky, and more.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
A combination of all of these.

What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
Play anywhere you can, you never know who’s listening

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
Learn and play every song you can from every style of music. Don’t limit yourself.

“We’re definitely a band that likes to have fun, but it’s not 100% about that,” says guitarist/vocalist Rudiger Metsin, “There is a deeper side to this band, and I think these songs exemplify it.”

Edmonton alt-country outfit The Denim Daddies released their second EP of 2018, Thinkin’, a three song EP that features a deeper side to the band, on November 9. The collection features tracks that were recorded at the same time as their July-released Drinkin’, but rather than songs about beer, Thinkin’ tackles topics such as social change, US politics, and the big wheel that is pop country radio. Here, they kindly answer their Essential 8 where they talk about Thinkin', the importance of quality van tires, A&W, and much more.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
-Thinkin' is the second album in our series of themed albums, with the first being Drinkin’, and it carries the listener through the unfiltered, serious thoughts that result from a night of drinking. While Drinkin’ is lighthearted in nature, Thinkin’ makes a serious effort to look at topics that are more than surface level.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
-The inspiration for Thinkin' came from a wealth of opinions on modern society. Whether it’s the sorry state that modern pop country has become (Kill The Heart) or the troubling times that is the current political climate (The Circus) or the impending change of collective thought as generations collide (Rust & Die). 

What’s your favorite/”go-to” food on the road?
-A&W all day and everyday. Only Canadian A&W though, American A&W is cheap trash. We’ve been trying for years to get Cousin Eggbert (Egg sandwiches) in the burger family and to get the Whistle Dog back on the menu. No luck so far.

Released earlier this month, Kristy Kruger's latest album, Fever of Unknown Origin, is a thirteen-song collection of incredibly personal, yet relatable tracks that deal with grief and loss. Here, Kristy answers her Essential 8 where she shares the story behind the album's title, the song "Goodbye Brother," meeting her heroes, and more.

Is there a story behind your album's title?
​I come from a military family.  My great grandfather served in Mission, Texas in 1916 during the Mexican Punitive Expedition.  My grandfather served in World War II, Army Air Corps in Wichita Falls, Texas.  My brother Doug served in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.  And three of my nephews served in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets as well.

My father is a Vietnam veteran who has impacted my life greatly.  Growing up, he often told us stories of his time there.  He also contracted a fever while serving in the Army, called the "Fever of Unknown Origin."  A couple of times a year, he will get an extremely high fever and will shake, sweat, and shiver.  There is no cure for the fever and no one knows when the fever will strike or how long it will last.

After losing my brother Eric in Iraq, my mother told me about my father's fever, which I was previously unaware of.  When she described it to me, it sounded exactly like what I was experiencing after losing Eric.  I would suffer from long panic attacks where I would shake and shiver.  I never knew what would set these attacks off or how long they would last.

In honor of my father and all of his sacrifices for our country, including the loss of his son, I thought to name this album Fever of Unknown Origin, as my whole family experienced the grave loss of Eric, which felt like a fever that affected us all and came out of nowhere.

After Eric died, I began learning all kinds of American music in his honor, from Bessie Smith to Lefty Frizzell and Johnny Cash, to preserve our nation's unique music history.  My hope for this album is that it shows my true love of American music, especially New Orleans Jazz, and early American country, blues and folk.

Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
Almost all of the songs I wrote were written after my brother’s death in Iraq. They all expressed the many faces of grief one goes through when losing someone in a sudden and traumatic way.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? 
Life.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
I write about personal experience.

​​Described by Rolling Stone as having a voice combining “the high-mountain sunshine of Dolly Parton, with a sweet-iron undercoat of Chrissie Hynde," Mary Lee Kortes is a musician and author who has released five albums of original material to wide critical acclaim, each of which landed on the Billboard critics’ top ten list in the year of its debut. Additionally, Kortes is also a published short story writer who will be releasing her first novel, Dreaming of Dylan: 115 Dreams About Bob, on November 13th. Ahead of its release, Kortes graciously took the time to answer her Essential 8 where she spoke about her songwriting process, the influence of her grandmother, and more.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? 
I think it’s basically everywhere. It’s not about finding a source; it’s more about being open, letting stuff hit you and then letting it combine with your own personal reaction and imagination. I heard a statistic years ago about domestic violence that shocked me—that 75% of women who are killed by a partner are killed after they leave him. I was talking about it with a friend and my emotion poured out in a spontaneous rhyme: People say “Why don’t you leave him.” “Because he said he’d kill me and I believe him.” And I realized it was a song waiting to be written. That song, “Why Don’t You Leave Him,” has gone on to have a significant impact in a number of women’s lives. Very gratifying.
 
When/where do you do your best writing? 
For me, it’s about getting the original spark for a song, which can happen anywhere. Then I like to let things gestate. I always feel like my ideas work on themselves in the back of my mind while I’m doing other things. Then I come back to them a week or two later. This can happen anywhere. But when I get down to writing, it’s important for me to be in some kind of cocoon, where it’s just me and the idea and anything can happen. That cocoon can be anywhere too: at home at my desk, in a coffee shop, on a train, lying in bed waiting to fall asleep or waking up in the middle of the night.
 
Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination? 
All of the above. When I write about personal experience it almost always gets affected by something outside myself. I made up a murder mystery story while I was driving on I-80 from NYC to the Midwest. It’s called The Trucks of Pennsylvania and has bits and pieces of the stuff you experience driving that route. So, that was a combination of a made-up story and observations and it totally surprised me. It was a long drive. The song is 6 minutes!

Cliffs + Caves - the mother-daughter duo of Lindsey and Claire Justice - unabashedly share their deeply personal and relatable stories through songs that resonate with listeners of all generations. Their newest EP, Capsize, due January 11, 2019, dynamically demonstrates their unique blend of indie-folk music created from intimate lyrics lilting over smooth musical progressions.  Partnering with producer Chris Jacobie (Penny and Sparrow, Jarrod Dickenson, Duncan Fellow) in their home state of Texas to complete the project, the result is a five song showcase of the musical ingenuity that is created when artistry runs in the family. The duo recently released their first single from the project, "Right Side," and here Lindsay answers their Essential 8 where she talks about their songwriting process, shares the story behind "Right Side," and talks Red Rocks, Ruston Kelly, and more.

Please choose one song and tell the story behind it.
The first single we just released from our new EP Capsize is a song called “Right Side” that Claire wrote after a break up. I’ve been encouraging her to write lyrics for years, so I was thrilled and really proud that we finally got to record a song that she penned the lyrics for. Claire is only 16, so she actually wrote it about the only boyfriend she’d ever had from back in 8th grade. Claire said, “This is about my first relationship.  We were close friends before we started dating, but after we started dating I realized I wasn’t comfortable with it.  After ending things, it’s awkward- no matter how hard you try to make things smooth. That’s the thing that was sad was the friendship lost, because after being close for so long it’s hard not having that person you tell everything to and are so at ease with. But after a while, you wake up and you feel better that you made the right decision.”

When/where do you do your best writing?
We have a ranch outside of town in Hallettsville where we keep cattle and our two horses – that’s our favorite place to write together. Claire and I go on walks in the woods and down along Sandy Creek and we sit around a campfire at night. It’s just the perfect quiet space to be creative. Of course it doesn’t always work out that we’re there for writing, but getting off by ourselves in a place where we can feel connected to each other and nature is prime. We jump on those rare moments where we aren’t distracted by the pull of regular daily life, all the responsibilities like Claire’s heavy load of high school work or busy sports schedule, or for me- endless emails, meetings, and laundry. Feeling away from all that and getting off by ourselves is key.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
For me, writing the majority of our lyrics, I find that my best writing comes from direct personal experience, when the feelings are fresh and just happening. I think it’s important to make time to be alone and sit back into whatever the feelings are- and thoughtfully process as much happening during all the different kinds of moments of life- big and small.

Blues Americana artist Katie Knipp has been on a passionate musical journey her entire life. Always in choir, she was drawn to the piano at the age of 15., but since there was no piano at home, she began teaching herself at every lunch break during high school. Beginning college, Katie believed it would be practical to major in medicine, but singing in a choir rendition of Mozart’s Requiem changed her future path. In order to follow her heart, she would dedicate herself to music. 

To date, Katie has released four studio albums, a DVD, and played hundreds of venues throughout California with Sacramento News and Review nominating her for Best Blues Artist in Sacramento in 2017.  On November 7th, she released her new album, Take It With You, and here she answered her Essential 8 where she spoke about her musical mentor, Joe Barnett, shared the story behind "Metro in Paris" and much more.
​
​Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?  
Most definitely. Joe Barnett was my piano and voice teacher for a good 8 years.  He helped me find my voice.  His teaching style always included humor, discipline, and passion.  Although he tragically passed at the young age of 46, he is part of my everyday life.  I still warm up with our previously recorded vocal warm-ups to keep in tip-top shape, and his Yamaha grand piano was purchased by me a few years ago.  Not only do I love playing it, but I also get to teach my own students piano lessons on it.  I hope to carry on his legacy and inspire as many people as possible.  Doesn't it ALL start with a mentor?

Please choose one song and tell the story behind it.  
The song "Metro in Paris", although very flirty sounding, actually comes from feeling extremely claustrophobic on the metro in Paris during their rush hour.  I was quite shocked how nobody seemed to mind being completely pressed up against each other.  We were packed in like sardines!  I began to feel queasy and found out after the trip it was because I was pregnant at the time!  I decided to turn the story into a sexy dance about wanting to take someone home and romance them.
​
Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?  
A combination, for sure!  Personal experience is a must because it has always been very healing to write about pain, love, loss, etc.  The song "I Will Stick Around" is about a friend of mine who experienced so much tragedy that I didn't know how to process it except to write.  I finally admitted to him yesterday that it was about him and wanting to be there as much as possible for comfort.  I love the adventure of a made up story and get a lot of inspiration from movies.  The song "Come Back" has a bit of inspiration from the movie "Fatal Attraction".  "Another Round" is my tribute to New Orleans and how the city is a constant inspiration to me.  My heart belongs there!  "Santa Cruz" blues is a true story.

 Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Doug Schmude (Pronounced as to rhyme with moody) spent most of his formative years in Oklahoma and Texas. He honed his songwriting in the late 1990's while performing in and around Boulder, Colorado. In 2000, he relocated to Nashville to further develop his craft. While in Tennessee, he was nominated for several awards through his work with the acoustic blues duo Hot Foot Delta. Currently based out of Southern California, Doug recently released his fourth album, Burn These Pages, which features 10 original tracks as well as a Chris Knight cover. The songs all start with a foundation of Roots Americana and mix in equal parts rock, blues, indie rock, and grunge in tales of vividly drawn characters from all walks of life.

​Doug kindly took the time to answer his Essential 8 where he spoke in depth about his songwriting process, shared the stories behind selected songs, and much more.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
It’s different in every song, but, there is a point during the writing process where you can tell you are on the downhill stretch.  The song has pretty much been written (or in some cases written itself) and all that is left is some cleanup and final touches.  However, songs don’t ever really feel perfect to me.  I don’t mean that in a negative or self-deprecating way.  When I first start with an idea for a song there is a feeling of limitless possibility of being able to express it all perfectly.   When I’m finished I can tell it’s done and I’ve expressed what I intended to in the best way possible in that moment, but they never really reach that idealized potential.  The continued pursuit of that potential is a real motivator to keep writing. 

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
The album title is taken from the title track, Burn These Pages.  I like to introduce that song when I play live by saying it’s a song about not being able to write a song.  It’s about those nights when you sit down to write and nothing comes out.   Probably like most songwriters, I have pages and pages full of half finished songs, ill formed ideas and concepts.   Songwriting is a messy process with lots of wrong turns, detours and accidents.  The chorus of Burn These Pages really speaks to the desire to continue to chase these songs while at the same time some level of desire to hide the reality of the process.  I chose it for the album title as I felt it captured my feelings about the writing process currently.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I generally get inspired by moments where I can see the world from someone else’s perspective.  Or at least as much as one can not being in their shoes.  It sounds kind of corny, but for me songwriting is more like a lifestyle than a profession.  What I mean by that is I have found that my songwriting radar is always up and you never know when you are going to be inspired.   You might be having the most benign conversation about something and just the way someone says something strikes me, or the way the light comes off of someone or something gives me an idea.  So I always have to be ready to make a note of it, even if I don’t have time to do anything with it for a while.  Of course, you don’t always know which ideas will grow into something more, but I’ve had the idea for many a song I’ve come up with at the most random time. 
​
I have also written a few songs in the storytelling vein that were inspired by newspaper articles or news stories.  I’ve gotten to the point now where people will send me stories they heard and say this sounds like a song you would write.  Which is really cool.  The Song My Daddy’s Musket came about that way.  A friend of mine turned me on to the story about this woman in North Carolina who is that last person receiving pension benefits for the Civil War.  Her father fought for both the Confederacy and the Union and in spite of her being into her 80's and the war having been over for 150 years, she still gets letters from Southerners calling her a traitor.  That’s an amazing story that in my opinion had to be told.  The challenge is doing this woman, her family and the story the justice it deserves.  I sure hope I did so.

Previously the guitarist for Whitey Morgan and the 78s, Josh Card is branching out on his own and releasing his solo debut album With A Heavy Heart, today, November 9.  Produced by Dean Miller and featuring some of Nashville's most sought-after players such as Paul Franklin and Mike Johnson on pedal steel; Guthrie Trapp on electric guitar; Mark Beckett on drums and Jennee Fleenor on fiddle, the ten-song project is “the most honest, genuine thing I’ve ever made,” states Card. “I wrote authentic songs, influenced by life, from the deepest depths of my heart and soul. I just wanted to make an album that is “me” without trying to use any formula or mold. It’s a self-made project that I feel truly displays who I am.”  From the fiddle-heavy opener, “Suffer,” to the smoldering ballad “Won't Chase Your Love” and the toe-tapper “Choice To Make” Card’s gift with the pen shines throughout. A few weeks ago, Josh kindly took the time to speak in depth about the album, working with Dean Miller, and more.
 
Growing up in Florida, Card spent time learning Conway Twitty tunes on his acoustic guitar, then spent the better part of fifteen years touring the country and beyond in punk and hardcore bands. He says the transition back to country was really about coming full circle musically.

​Even though I dove into punk and hardcore in my teen years, my first love has always been country music. When I came in from the road with those bands, I was home writing some country songs. Eventually, when I moved to Kentucky for work [Card worked for Harley Davidson], I didn't know anyone, so I returned to sitting with my acoustic guitar and playing songs. Moving to Kentucky was a blessing in disguise because that’s where music really started to reveal itself. I ended up playing open mic nights and dive bars and that sparked something in me; and once I started playing out more and more, it was clear music was my number one priority. Working at Harley Davidson was not a bad job, but I was totally miserable not being able to focus on my music and go on road as freely as I used to – ignoring that was like ignoring a magnetic force that’s pulling you to what you’re supposed to be doing....and you can only ignore something like for that for so long.
 
It's your calling.
In 2017 Josh released an album with his band, JC and the Restless Souls, then toured with Whitey Morgan before returning to the studio for his solo project. Do you prefer bandleader or band member or do they both have plus and minuses?
 
When I returned to music, it was with my songs but I approached it from a band aspect because that’s what I was used to. I missed having people on stage with me when I was playing those dive bars, so I started a band called Josh Card and the Restless Souls. Those guys came into the studio with me to record that album, but this new one [With A Heavy Heart] is my first solo project because it was really just me from start to finish - from picking the producer to playing to deciding where to record…it’s fully a Josh Card project.

Playing in bands is great and we got to do amazing things all over the world, but one thing that was always hard for me was relying on others to take it as seriously and work as hard. No matter what, when you have 4 or 5 guys it is going to be rare that all of you are on exactly the same page and that’s okay, but what I found most of the time was that I was the one who was more focused and working harder. And that’s one thing about this project that I appreciate the most - there’s no one and nothing that can stop me from my own ambitions and goals except myself.

North Carolina-born Danielle Johnson kicked off the Fall season with the release of her debut self-titled debut EP, delivering a project with a wide range of influences encompassing pop-appeal and rootsy authenticity.

Featuring five tracks, all co-written by Johnson, the EP came to life through many writing sessions and was inspired by real feelings, experiences, and living in the moment. She says,
“The writing process for this project was so much fun. Every song is very special to me and tells a story of its own. The EP takes you on a ride that’s full of twists and turns. I poured my heart and soul into this and I hope it brings joy to your life too," 
​
Here, Johnson answers her Essential 8 where she talks about her songwriting process, playing MSG, Taylor Swift, and more!

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
One song that comes to mind is "You're The One That Got Away" off my recently released debut EP. It was so exciting to see the finished product! I wanted the emotion of the song to soar in the instrumentation, and we did that. I'm super happy with the outcome! 

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
My songs are all about my life experiences and my truth. I always want my fans to connect to my songs and truly feel what I'm singing. I want my music to be an escape for people all around the world. 

When/where do you do your best writing?
Writing comes very organically for me. It happens at different times of the day. Sometimes, I write at night when I'm thinking about my day or it comes in the early morning hour. There's not a form to it or a time that is better for me. I love writing. Writing offers so much. You're telling your own stories from your own life and to be able to share that is a wonderful thing. 

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
Don't ever give up. Work hard on your craft and practice. Keep your faith and stay humble. Remember that everything happens for a reason and at the right time.