October 10, 2025 • 25 mins
Join @thebuzzknight for this special episode with singer-songwriter Maggie Rose. Maggie is a Grammy Nominated Artist with a new EP called "Cocoon" which includes a collaboration with Grace Potter called "Poison In My well." This episode will take you behind the scenes of the creative process with this incredibly talented artist who is on the road playing at a venue near you.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I think there's also about installation to like protecting myself
during this time of a physical creation and also just
musical creation.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Hum buzz night. And this is the Take a Walk Podcast,
and we're going to be with someone who knows that
in this life, no one gets out alive. That doesn't
mean we can't make the journey beautiful. Grammy nominated singer
songwriter Maggie Rose. She's been spinning musical gold from life's
raw materials her twenty twenty four album No One Gets
Out Alive. Rolling Stone called it one of the best
(00:36):
albums of twenty twenty four. It proves she's not just
surviving the music industry, she is transforming it. And she's
going to talk to us about new music, the EP
called Cocoon, and lots more on the Taken a Walk Podcast.
Taking a Walk, Maggie, Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
(00:58):
I'm so happy to have you.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
I'm so happy to be here. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
So The opening volley we like to bring out is
the question, no, what's coming you do, don't you? The
question being if you could take a walk with somebody.
I'm blushing now, you see, if you could take a
walk with somebody living or dead. Who would you take
a walk with? Then maybe where would you take that walk?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Okay, I'm going to cheat because I have to say
two people. Paul McCartney because he's the greatest and I
want to hear all the stories about those early days
and the caverns, but I also want his take on
where music is today, And if I can be so greedy,
I have to also say Abraham Lincoln because he was
(01:45):
one of our greatest presidents during such incredibly divisive time,
and I would want to know what he would think
about today and how he would navigate today.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
That's awesome. I just recorded a future episode yesterday with
Eric from the band Midlake, and he said Abraham Lincoln,
and he was talking himself out of it a bit
at first, and I said, wait a minute, you know
he's he's one of the guys, right, He's like.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
He's one of the guys. Yeah, absolutely, paramount to our history.
People kind of chuckle when I say that, because they
think that as a musician you sort of need to
default to another musician. But you know, I'd also work
very hard to make Abraham Lincoln a fan of my music.
That would be a cool accomplishment to have. But yeah,
(02:40):
I mean I think that those really were unprecedented times
and how did he turn down the temperature and how
could how could he possibly unite our country today?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Yeah? What could we learn from our past?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
You know? And what would he think about where we've arrived?
I mean, I'm sure that might be a kind of
brutal criticism from him to see where we've come, But
you know, I think that it would just be a
eye opening to have some perspective from someone who's who
was able to in some sort of solution during a
(03:22):
time where it felt impossible.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
And Paul McCartney would then set us straight down industry
wise where things are absolutely heading. One of the things
I love about all of your music, the new song
Staying Cocoon, the EP, and certainly your great career is
the fact that you touch many different genres. You like
(03:51):
bending bending the rules a bit over your career. What
inspired you to always think that way?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I think it's less about bending the rules and not
really regarding rules, trying to kind of serve each song
with the sonic arrangement that it needs. And I like
to explore my capabilities and continue examining myself as an artist,
so I think that just naturally brings me to these
(04:22):
different these different soundscapes, and I'm very collaborative, so I
know that that also lends itself to some of the
different sounds that you hear. Is just all the different
people I work with.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And you were a fan favorite at Americana Fest recently.
It sounds like you had multiple great experiences. Do you
want to talk about the one with the symphony in particular?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yes, it was surreal. So on my last album, No
One Gets Out Alive, I had a lot of these
really great orchestral arrangements and we actually used a symphony
in Macedonia for the recording. This was something that sort
of came out of the pandemic where these incredible symphonies
were able to remotely record scores for films and arrangements
(05:14):
for albums like my own. So this is the first
time that I actually got to realize that kind of
presentation with an actual ensemble behind me. It was seventy people,
so that was daunting because that's a big train and
once it's moven, there's no stopping it, there's no improvising,
(05:35):
So that part was nerve wracking, But it just was
I just got totally swept up in the experience and
it felt like one of those moments where you know
there aren't many, but where you get there and you're like, Okay,
this is kind of that touch point of all this
work that I've been doing over the last couple of
years to be able to play this music with, you know,
(05:58):
these musicians who've dedicated their life to their craft and
just talk about a collaborative experience. It was like everybody
together helping carry these songs through. And something happened right
before I hit the stage where I was able to
consciously slow my brain down and be like, please enjoy
(06:19):
this and don't let the sensory overload, just make it
go by so quickly, and I was able to really
settle in and enjoy the night. And just that concert
hall in Nashville, it's so beautiful, and all the people
that contributed to this record, so many of them were there,
and it just felt like a big celebration. And I
(06:41):
hope it's the first of many now that we have
these arrangements. I know there's symphonies all over the world
that I'd love to recreate that night with.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
I got chills it's awesome. It's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
I got chills too. It was really very, very special.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
I want to talk about the twenty twenty four album
One Gets Out Alive. It, you know, certainly has a
haunting title. What was your headspace as you were in
the midst of that project and that creation.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
I kind of felt like I had nothing to lose.
I wrote that song with Natalie Humby and Sonny Sweeney,
and it was after I had lost people close to me.
I had people that passed away, I had friendships that
didn't sustain the pandemic and all the stress of that,
(07:38):
and I just felt like, my life is too short
and it should be celebrated and we should create things
that are beautiful. And I kind of took that approach
to the production as well, Like these were big arrangements
and we swung for the fences, and I tried to
put together like the best band that I could put
(08:00):
together in the studio, and I just really I went
for it, I suppose. And it's a lot about life
and all of its wonder and you know how different
events affect our perception of the passage of time, And
it's about gratitude and I think I just was at
(08:21):
a place in my life where it was just so
like incredibly palpable, and all the joy and sorrow just
felt like a really creative moment, I think for me.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
And then moving into Cocoon, you have your son Graham,
your new young lad. How much did motherhood influence this
metaphor of sort of transformation and emergence.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
I think there was also about insulation too, like protecting
myself during this time of a physical creation and also
just musical creation. I wanted to have this snapshot of
these collections of songs during this really special time in
my life. And it also was about growth and all
(09:22):
the beautiful things about it, but also the sharper edges
of it and how you know, not everyone wants to
grow at the same rate as you. Not everyone wants
to go with you to this new place that you're going,
and emergences worthwhile, but you've shed some things on your
way to that next phase as well. So I think
(09:46):
it was a lot of it about anticipation, letting go
of things that I didn't need to bring with me
in this new chapter as a mother, unburdening myself of
some resentment. And also there's song about hope that I
want to impart that idea on Graham and show him
that there is a world where hope is very much alive.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
You collaborated on Cocoon with this this gentle flower who
needs to come out of her shell by the name
of Grace Potter.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
You know, she's such a wallflower, she's so shy. I
loved y'all's episode by the way she's She's such a
great person. The song is about, you know, not necessarily
being able to support someone else in their successes and
the antithesis of that. She's so supportive and like her
(10:42):
Vermont community benefits from that, but also her creative community.
You know, she's always lifting people up. And I shared
this music with her after it was done because I
wanted her to hear it and I wanted her feedback
on it. But really I was angling to get her
to jump on this song with me, and she, just
(11:02):
the way she is, she said yes on the spot
when I asked her over to the phone. And her husband,
Eric Valentine, is an incredible producer and engineer, so the
two of them, I think that night went and put
Grace's part on Poisoning My Will, and she sent it
back the next day and I just was like, this
is surreal and an example of like asked for what
(11:25):
you want and you might get it, and we certainly
did with what she contributed to that song, It's so great.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
I love it poisoning my will And thanks for your
nice words on having Grace on. She makes it very
easy to roll with the flow because she's got such
amazing energy and focus.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
And I love going on walks with her. I mean
just she is. She's so generous with just her her thoughts,
her takes on what's going on, and she'll just sit
in it with you and kind of you know, there's
not an agenda. She's trying to figure it all out
(12:08):
and work through it with people.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Can you remember the first time in your life that
you were impacted by music?
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yes, I mean I was very young, and I actually
think it was because I always loved just sing around
the house and I love to perform for my parents'
friends and they'd come over for dinner. Like I justk
a bit of a show boat in that way. But
I think what impacted me was seeing this group of
(12:39):
adults all of a sudden fall silent and pay attention
and gather together just to like commune and music. I
think seeing the power of that in the community that
it brings at such an early age was pretty impactful
to me. And there were some pretty cool opportunities as
(13:05):
a very young person to sing with other people in
choirs and just kind of getting to learn from that.
And also my parents played great music around the house too,
Like my mom would just be like, what do you
think about this song? She'd played like the Duds and
MARYA Shape and Carpenter and talk about their songwriting, and
it just was like a very alive in my house.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
And very diverse musically, which leads to your diverse musical approach.
Certainly there was a pop side. I mean you grew
up outside of DC, right.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
That's right, Yeah, so you were. And also the divas
were just like abound when I was growing up, I
feel like more so than now. It's just like the
female singer was everywhere in every genre, really celebrated, and
I think that definitely shaped my inclination to want to
(14:02):
sing and belt it out like them.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
We'll be right back with more of the Taken a
Walk podcast. Welcome back to the Taken a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
How much since you moved to Nashville quite a few
years ago. Has Nashville changed.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
It's a totally different town in my opinion. But I've
also found a different Nashville myself personally. I think in
the creative community that I have around me. And when
I moved here in two thousand and eight, I was
releasing commercial country music. I was doing the country radio thing,
and you know, being dragged around the country doing radio tours,
(14:49):
trying to get that one song played on that station.
And I feel like I would put a whole year
of my life into promoting this one song when you
know we have multitudes within us, and just the template
didn't really work for me. And I think that forced
me to explore my sound and that's when the soul
(15:10):
started to come out. And my departure from that approach
actually just opened up my world of music. So I
started working in a different way, and I think that
that made me attract people who maybe aren't what you
would typically assume a Nashville musician to be. Like Nashville's
(15:34):
music is, the spectrum is so much more broad than
it was before. You'll find people making all kinds of music,
and I love that it's growing. The traffic sucks, but
the food's gotten really good. I do wish that there
was some reverence for the old music venues around town.
(15:56):
This being music city, I think that we've forsaken some
of those really awesome institutions that made people want to
move here in the first place. There's so much that's
given way to the bottom line and tourism and all
those things which are necessary proceeded to grow. But yeah,
I think I'm missing the soul of the music scene
(16:19):
a little bit in terms of the live entertainment. But
there are some incredible places still.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
There's a lot of unsung musical heroes, songwriters, session people
that need to be showcased and acknowledged more. I know
there's a ton of them that worked on Cocoon with you.
Why don't you shine a light on some of these
at times unsung heroes.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Yeah, I think Melissa Fuller is an incredible writer. She's
also a great artist, and I've written songs with her
on previous projects. Davis Nash he was one of the
producers with Bent Tanner who produced my last album, and
Davis helped me write a lot of the songs. He
(17:12):
is an incredible programmer and musician. The Ben tanner Is.
He's with the Alabama Shikes out on tour right now,
and he's been so instrumental to my evolution. We made
an album down at Fame and Muscle Shows a couple
of years ago, and then we worked on No. One
(17:34):
Gets Out Alive. And he's someone who really gets into
trenches with me and helps me with the a and our
process and selecting the songs, and I mean the role
of producer he takes and he runs with it. He
offers so much more. And of course Natalie Hemby's a
great friend of mine. She collaborated on it. Steph Jones,
(17:56):
who's had a hell of a year. She's written a
bunch of songs for Sabrina carpon Or has a great
op sensibility. Oh boy, I know I'm forgetting a bunch
of people. But my sound guy, Anderson Clendennen helps with
the mixing of it. And he's like this young kid
(18:17):
who comes out on the road with us and is
such a whiz. I'm very excited to watch his career grow.
I forget that he's like only twenty four or something,
So yeah, it's exciting. I stay inspired by the people
I get to work with.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
I mean, you've been an independent, you know, kind of
self founded in your own way. Can you give a
piece of advice to artists trying to make it without
the big machine behind them.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Yes, I mean I think you have to be resolute
and the fact that this is what you want to do,
and definitely don't let what's around you you validate your efforts.
I've done this with a big machine. I've done it
independently over the years, of course, and I think just
(19:12):
always wanting to write that next song and staying curious
and wanting to continue to examine myself that's never gone away.
I think staying creative is a choice. You have to
just be diligent about it. I think that's an approach it.
(19:33):
I feel like I need to always be trying to
flex that muscle. And also I have done this in
such a grassroots way. I think playing live regularly and
all these different markets and making sure that I go
back and nurture those communities that have come out and
(19:54):
seeing me over the years, like that's a really important
way for me to sustain my audience and what I do,
even if it's a little bit longer of a lapse
in between releasing new music, like we just we try
to stay out there because the live show is so
important to me in connecting with people.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Talk about some more of the songs on Cocoon that,
in particular you feel are going to really play great
out in front of people.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Well, I failed to mention Chuck Harmony and Claude Kelly
as some of my collaborators. They wrote the title track
with me, and they also wrote Relentless with me, and
they actually are very celebrated songwriters. They've written songs for
Miley Cyrus and all sorts of people. But I think
(20:48):
Relentless is a really great message for the EP as
a whole because I wrote it just a few days
after I found out that I was dropped by my
previous record label. I have a new home and everything
turned out all right, but that was one of those
(21:10):
moments where you're asking, like, how does an artist keep
going without the big machine. That was definitely a moment
where I decided to double down and press on. And
I think that that always goes over really well in
the audience because it's not necessarily providing a solution for
the listener, but it is definitely an encouraging message.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
The Washington Post little newspaper called you one of music's
rising storytellers. What stories are you most compelled to tell
right now, at the stage of year of your life
right now?
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Stories of hope. The last song on the EP is
a song called Fly, and it's the only song in
this collection of songs that I didn't write and record
while I was pregnant. I actually wrote it years ago
with Caitlin Smith and Rollie Goldswick, and it almost I
(22:17):
felt like I was like, this is too too hopeful,
this is too positive, and because of where I am
right now with my son and I'm excited about the future,
I felt like, Okay, this is time to share this
message and maybe it'll be like Field of Dreams. If
(22:39):
you put it out there, it'll happen, and I think
that's what we need right now. No, it sounds trite,
but if you can package it in a way that
you can believe, and I feel like I'm trying to
get there, then that's okay. We can. I'll have more
of that out there for sure.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Maggie, you clearly have this approach which is not leaving
anything you know taken for granted and just playing and
creating as if it's the last time you're going to
play and create. You you have that all in thousand
percent approach for sure. Do you know when that first
(23:22):
clicked in as a musician, that attitude.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I mean, I think sometimes it's it's almost like I
just need to get in that mode and hope that
I will mentally arrive there. So like it appears that way,
but I think it's because I see this as a vocation.
I think it's a there's not really a plan. B,
(23:51):
there's not something else I would rather be doing. So
it makes it very simple in a way because you're
just like, well, this is it, and I'm getting to
do what I love. And yeah, it comes with some
challenges and it can be kind of gnarly at times,
but I don't have to wonder about what else I
want to be doing, So that kind of makes it
(24:13):
easy in a way to just say, Okay, we're all in.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
I'm so grateful that she came on the podcast, and
for I'm so grateful for the music that you continue
to give us and the performances, and oh I neglected
to let you plug your podcast, so why don't you
plug your podcast?
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Thank you? It's called salute to songbird, and I get
to interview all my favorite women in the industry. And
I just did a special episode with Caitlin Smith and
Lucy Silvis and Jillian Jacqueline about motherhood and being a
working mom in the industry. But I've had Melissa, Ethri
(24:57):
John and Nancy Wilson, and it's just it's so dreamy.
And now I'm doing in front of a live audience,
which is really fun because I'm talking to other performers
and they just really give me great interviews with that
energy in the room. So I hope to continue doing it.
And the list of people that I'm being recommended that
(25:17):
just never ends. It's constantly growing because there's so many
amazing people out there to talk to.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Well, and those people want to be on with the
cool people, and you are one of the cool people.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
So thanks us.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
Yeah, thanks Maggie, I'm trying. I appreciate you being on.
This is awesome.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
It's great to talk to you. Thank you so much
for having me.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk Podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts,
and wherever you get your podcasts.
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I think there's also about installation to like protecting myself
during this time of a physical creation and also just
musical creation.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Hum buzz night. And this is the Take a Walk Podcast,
and we're going to be with someone who knows that
in this life, no one gets out alive. That doesn't
mean we can't make the journey beautiful. Grammy nominated singer
songwriter Maggie Rose. She's been spinning musical gold from life's
raw materials her twenty twenty four album No One Gets
Out Alive. Rolling Stone called it one of the best
(00:36):
albums of twenty twenty four. It proves she's not just
surviving the music industry, she is transforming it. And she's
going to talk to us about new music, the EP
called Cocoon, and lots more on the Taken a Walk Podcast.
Taking a Walk, Maggie, Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
(00:58):
I'm so happy to have you.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
I'm so happy to be here. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
So The opening volley we like to bring out is
the question, no, what's coming you do, don't you? The
question being if you could take a walk with somebody.
I'm blushing now, you see, if you could take a
walk with somebody living or dead. Who would you take
a walk with? Then maybe where would you take that walk?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Okay, I'm going to cheat because I have to say
two people. Paul McCartney because he's the greatest and I
want to hear all the stories about those early days
and the caverns, but I also want his take on
where music is today, And if I can be so greedy,
I have to also say Abraham Lincoln because he was
(01:45):
one of our greatest presidents during such incredibly divisive time,
and I would want to know what he would think
about today and how he would navigate today.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
That's awesome. I just recorded a future episode yesterday with
Eric from the band Midlake, and he said Abraham Lincoln,
and he was talking himself out of it a bit
at first, and I said, wait a minute, you know
he's he's one of the guys, right, He's like.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
He's one of the guys. Yeah, absolutely, paramount to our history.
People kind of chuckle when I say that, because they
think that as a musician you sort of need to
default to another musician. But you know, I'd also work
very hard to make Abraham Lincoln a fan of my music.
That would be a cool accomplishment to have. But yeah,
(02:40):
I mean I think that those really were unprecedented times
and how did he turn down the temperature and how
could how could he possibly unite our country today?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Yeah? What could we learn from our past?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
You know? And what would he think about where we've arrived?
I mean, I'm sure that might be a kind of
brutal criticism from him to see where we've come, But
you know, I think that it would just be a
eye opening to have some perspective from someone who's who
was able to in some sort of solution during a
(03:22):
time where it felt impossible.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
And Paul McCartney would then set us straight down industry
wise where things are absolutely heading. One of the things
I love about all of your music, the new song
Staying Cocoon, the EP, and certainly your great career is
the fact that you touch many different genres. You like
(03:51):
bending bending the rules a bit over your career. What
inspired you to always think that way?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I think it's less about bending the rules and not
really regarding rules, trying to kind of serve each song
with the sonic arrangement that it needs. And I like
to explore my capabilities and continue examining myself as an artist,
so I think that just naturally brings me to these
(04:22):
different these different soundscapes, and I'm very collaborative, so I
know that that also lends itself to some of the
different sounds that you hear. Is just all the different
people I work with.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And you were a fan favorite at Americana Fest recently.
It sounds like you had multiple great experiences. Do you
want to talk about the one with the symphony in particular?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yes, it was surreal. So on my last album, No
One Gets Out Alive, I had a lot of these
really great orchestral arrangements and we actually used a symphony
in Macedonia for the recording. This was something that sort
of came out of the pandemic where these incredible symphonies
were able to remotely record scores for films and arrangements
(05:14):
for albums like my own. So this is the first
time that I actually got to realize that kind of
presentation with an actual ensemble behind me. It was seventy people,
so that was daunting because that's a big train and
once it's moven, there's no stopping it, there's no improvising,
(05:35):
So that part was nerve wracking, But it just was
I just got totally swept up in the experience and
it felt like one of those moments where you know
there aren't many, but where you get there and you're like, Okay,
this is kind of that touch point of all this
work that I've been doing over the last couple of
years to be able to play this music with, you know,
(05:58):
these musicians who've dedicated their life to their craft and
just talk about a collaborative experience. It was like everybody
together helping carry these songs through. And something happened right
before I hit the stage where I was able to
consciously slow my brain down and be like, please enjoy
(06:19):
this and don't let the sensory overload, just make it
go by so quickly, and I was able to really
settle in and enjoy the night. And just that concert
hall in Nashville, it's so beautiful, and all the people
that contributed to this record, so many of them were there,
and it just felt like a big celebration. And I
(06:41):
hope it's the first of many now that we have
these arrangements. I know there's symphonies all over the world
that I'd love to recreate that night with.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
I got chills it's awesome. It's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
I got chills too. It was really very, very special.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
I want to talk about the twenty twenty four album
One Gets Out Alive. It, you know, certainly has a
haunting title. What was your headspace as you were in
the midst of that project and that creation.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
I kind of felt like I had nothing to lose.
I wrote that song with Natalie Humby and Sonny Sweeney,
and it was after I had lost people close to me.
I had people that passed away, I had friendships that
didn't sustain the pandemic and all the stress of that,
(07:38):
and I just felt like, my life is too short
and it should be celebrated and we should create things
that are beautiful. And I kind of took that approach
to the production as well, Like these were big arrangements
and we swung for the fences, and I tried to
put together like the best band that I could put
(08:00):
together in the studio, and I just really I went
for it, I suppose. And it's a lot about life
and all of its wonder and you know how different
events affect our perception of the passage of time, And
it's about gratitude and I think I just was at
(08:21):
a place in my life where it was just so
like incredibly palpable, and all the joy and sorrow just
felt like a really creative moment, I think for me.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
And then moving into Cocoon, you have your son Graham,
your new young lad. How much did motherhood influence this
metaphor of sort of transformation and emergence.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
I think there was also about insulation too, like protecting
myself during this time of a physical creation and also
just musical creation. I wanted to have this snapshot of
these collections of songs during this really special time in
my life. And it also was about growth and all
(09:22):
the beautiful things about it, but also the sharper edges
of it and how you know, not everyone wants to
grow at the same rate as you. Not everyone wants
to go with you to this new place that you're going,
and emergences worthwhile, but you've shed some things on your
way to that next phase as well. So I think
(09:46):
it was a lot of it about anticipation, letting go
of things that I didn't need to bring with me
in this new chapter as a mother, unburdening myself of
some resentment. And also there's song about hope that I
want to impart that idea on Graham and show him
that there is a world where hope is very much alive.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
You collaborated on Cocoon with this this gentle flower who
needs to come out of her shell by the name
of Grace Potter.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
You know, she's such a wallflower, she's so shy. I
loved y'all's episode by the way she's She's such a
great person. The song is about, you know, not necessarily
being able to support someone else in their successes and
the antithesis of that. She's so supportive and like her
(10:42):
Vermont community benefits from that, but also her creative community.
You know, she's always lifting people up. And I shared
this music with her after it was done because I
wanted her to hear it and I wanted her feedback
on it. But really I was angling to get her
to jump on this song with me, and she, just
(11:02):
the way she is, she said yes on the spot
when I asked her over to the phone. And her husband,
Eric Valentine, is an incredible producer and engineer, so the
two of them, I think that night went and put
Grace's part on Poisoning My Will, and she sent it
back the next day and I just was like, this
is surreal and an example of like asked for what
(11:25):
you want and you might get it, and we certainly
did with what she contributed to that song, It's so great.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
I love it poisoning my will And thanks for your
nice words on having Grace on. She makes it very
easy to roll with the flow because she's got such
amazing energy and focus.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
And I love going on walks with her. I mean
just she is. She's so generous with just her her thoughts,
her takes on what's going on, and she'll just sit
in it with you and kind of you know, there's
not an agenda. She's trying to figure it all out
(12:08):
and work through it with people.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Can you remember the first time in your life that
you were impacted by music?
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yes, I mean I was very young, and I actually
think it was because I always loved just sing around
the house and I love to perform for my parents'
friends and they'd come over for dinner. Like I justk
a bit of a show boat in that way. But
I think what impacted me was seeing this group of
(12:39):
adults all of a sudden fall silent and pay attention
and gather together just to like commune and music. I
think seeing the power of that in the community that
it brings at such an early age was pretty impactful
to me. And there were some pretty cool opportunities as
(13:05):
a very young person to sing with other people in
choirs and just kind of getting to learn from that.
And also my parents played great music around the house too,
Like my mom would just be like, what do you
think about this song? She'd played like the Duds and
MARYA Shape and Carpenter and talk about their songwriting, and
it just was like a very alive in my house.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
And very diverse musically, which leads to your diverse musical approach.
Certainly there was a pop side. I mean you grew
up outside of DC, right.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
That's right, Yeah, so you were. And also the divas
were just like abound when I was growing up, I
feel like more so than now. It's just like the
female singer was everywhere in every genre, really celebrated, and
I think that definitely shaped my inclination to want to
(14:02):
sing and belt it out like them.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
We'll be right back with more of the Taken a
Walk podcast. Welcome back to the Taken a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
How much since you moved to Nashville quite a few
years ago. Has Nashville changed.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
It's a totally different town in my opinion. But I've
also found a different Nashville myself personally. I think in
the creative community that I have around me. And when
I moved here in two thousand and eight, I was
releasing commercial country music. I was doing the country radio thing,
and you know, being dragged around the country doing radio tours,
(14:49):
trying to get that one song played on that station.
And I feel like I would put a whole year
of my life into promoting this one song when you
know we have multitudes within us, and just the template
didn't really work for me. And I think that forced
me to explore my sound and that's when the soul
(15:10):
started to come out. And my departure from that approach
actually just opened up my world of music. So I
started working in a different way, and I think that
that made me attract people who maybe aren't what you
would typically assume a Nashville musician to be. Like Nashville's
(15:34):
music is, the spectrum is so much more broad than
it was before. You'll find people making all kinds of music,
and I love that it's growing. The traffic sucks, but
the food's gotten really good. I do wish that there
was some reverence for the old music venues around town.
(15:56):
This being music city, I think that we've forsaken some
of those really awesome institutions that made people want to
move here in the first place. There's so much that's
given way to the bottom line and tourism and all
those things which are necessary proceeded to grow. But yeah,
I think I'm missing the soul of the music scene
(16:19):
a little bit in terms of the live entertainment. But
there are some incredible places still.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
There's a lot of unsung musical heroes, songwriters, session people
that need to be showcased and acknowledged more. I know
there's a ton of them that worked on Cocoon with you.
Why don't you shine a light on some of these
at times unsung heroes.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Yeah, I think Melissa Fuller is an incredible writer. She's
also a great artist, and I've written songs with her
on previous projects. Davis Nash he was one of the
producers with Bent Tanner who produced my last album, and
Davis helped me write a lot of the songs. He
(17:12):
is an incredible programmer and musician. The Ben tanner Is.
He's with the Alabama Shikes out on tour right now,
and he's been so instrumental to my evolution. We made
an album down at Fame and Muscle Shows a couple
of years ago, and then we worked on No. One
(17:34):
Gets Out Alive. And he's someone who really gets into
trenches with me and helps me with the a and our
process and selecting the songs, and I mean the role
of producer he takes and he runs with it. He
offers so much more. And of course Natalie Hemby's a
great friend of mine. She collaborated on it. Steph Jones,
(17:56):
who's had a hell of a year. She's written a
bunch of songs for Sabrina carpon Or has a great
op sensibility. Oh boy, I know I'm forgetting a bunch
of people. But my sound guy, Anderson Clendennen helps with
the mixing of it. And he's like this young kid
(18:17):
who comes out on the road with us and is
such a whiz. I'm very excited to watch his career grow.
I forget that he's like only twenty four or something,
So yeah, it's exciting. I stay inspired by the people
I get to work with.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
I mean, you've been an independent, you know, kind of
self founded in your own way. Can you give a
piece of advice to artists trying to make it without
the big machine behind them.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Yes, I mean I think you have to be resolute
and the fact that this is what you want to do,
and definitely don't let what's around you you validate your efforts.
I've done this with a big machine. I've done it
independently over the years, of course, and I think just
(19:12):
always wanting to write that next song and staying curious
and wanting to continue to examine myself that's never gone away.
I think staying creative is a choice. You have to
just be diligent about it. I think that's an approach it.
(19:33):
I feel like I need to always be trying to
flex that muscle. And also I have done this in
such a grassroots way. I think playing live regularly and
all these different markets and making sure that I go
back and nurture those communities that have come out and
(19:54):
seeing me over the years, like that's a really important
way for me to sustain my audience and what I do,
even if it's a little bit longer of a lapse
in between releasing new music, like we just we try
to stay out there because the live show is so
important to me in connecting with people.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Talk about some more of the songs on Cocoon that,
in particular you feel are going to really play great
out in front of people.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Well, I failed to mention Chuck Harmony and Claude Kelly
as some of my collaborators. They wrote the title track
with me, and they also wrote Relentless with me, and
they actually are very celebrated songwriters. They've written songs for
Miley Cyrus and all sorts of people. But I think
(20:48):
Relentless is a really great message for the EP as
a whole because I wrote it just a few days
after I found out that I was dropped by my
previous record label. I have a new home and everything
turned out all right, but that was one of those
(21:10):
moments where you're asking, like, how does an artist keep
going without the big machine. That was definitely a moment
where I decided to double down and press on. And
I think that that always goes over really well in
the audience because it's not necessarily providing a solution for
the listener, but it is definitely an encouraging message.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
The Washington Post little newspaper called you one of music's
rising storytellers. What stories are you most compelled to tell
right now, at the stage of year of your life
right now?
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Stories of hope. The last song on the EP is
a song called Fly, and it's the only song in
this collection of songs that I didn't write and record
while I was pregnant. I actually wrote it years ago
with Caitlin Smith and Rollie Goldswick, and it almost I
(22:17):
felt like I was like, this is too too hopeful,
this is too positive, and because of where I am
right now with my son and I'm excited about the future,
I felt like, Okay, this is time to share this
message and maybe it'll be like Field of Dreams. If
(22:39):
you put it out there, it'll happen, and I think
that's what we need right now. No, it sounds trite,
but if you can package it in a way that
you can believe, and I feel like I'm trying to
get there, then that's okay. We can. I'll have more
of that out there for sure.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Maggie, you clearly have this approach which is not leaving
anything you know taken for granted and just playing and
creating as if it's the last time you're going to
play and create. You you have that all in thousand
percent approach for sure. Do you know when that first
(23:22):
clicked in as a musician, that attitude.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I mean, I think sometimes it's it's almost like I
just need to get in that mode and hope that
I will mentally arrive there. So like it appears that way,
but I think it's because I see this as a vocation.
I think it's a there's not really a plan. B,
(23:51):
there's not something else I would rather be doing. So
it makes it very simple in a way because you're
just like, well, this is it, and I'm getting to
do what I love. And yeah, it comes with some
challenges and it can be kind of gnarly at times,
but I don't have to wonder about what else I
want to be doing, So that kind of makes it
(24:13):
easy in a way to just say, Okay, we're all in.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
I'm so grateful that she came on the podcast, and
for I'm so grateful for the music that you continue
to give us and the performances, and oh I neglected
to let you plug your podcast, so why don't you
plug your podcast?
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Thank you? It's called salute to songbird, and I get
to interview all my favorite women in the industry. And
I just did a special episode with Caitlin Smith and
Lucy Silvis and Jillian Jacqueline about motherhood and being a
working mom in the industry. But I've had Melissa, Ethri
(24:57):
John and Nancy Wilson, and it's just it's so dreamy.
And now I'm doing in front of a live audience,
which is really fun because I'm talking to other performers
and they just really give me great interviews with that
energy in the room. So I hope to continue doing it.
And the list of people that I'm being recommended that
(25:17):
just never ends. It's constantly growing because there's so many
amazing people out there to talk to.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Well, and those people want to be on with the
cool people, and you are one of the cool people.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
So thanks us.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
Yeah, thanks Maggie, I'm trying. I appreciate you being on.
This is awesome.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
It's great to talk to you. Thank you so much
for having me.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk Podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts,
and wherever you get your podcasts.
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