A Musician's Life

Series produced by WXPN

Caption: PRX default Series image
PRX default Series image 

A grab bag of musicians muse about the creative and mundane aspecs of their lives. WXPN's Tracey Tanenbaum hosts this ongoing five minute weekly series

In the series A Musician?s Life listeners learn about musicians? lives first-hand. We?ll hear from performers at various stages of their career?those on the rise; those who have ?made it? and those who may be struggling for some recognition. They?ll describe both the creative and mundane sides of what they do, including:

? The biggest sacrifice they ever made for their art
? How they work with the music industry
? How they feel about critics and fans
? The realities of touring
? The stories behind specific songs
? Fall-out from writing about people in their personal lives
? Any toll their work takes on their personal lives
? Dealing with writer?s block
? Growing up wanting to be an artist
? Taking care of the voice
? Taking care of one?s health

This is a five-minute weekly series hosted by WXPN's Tracey Tanenbaum. She created the feature in 2006 and won the 2007 ACE award (Award for Creative Excellence in the Triple A category) for her efforts. Even though Tracey hosts and interviews the artists, she makes sure they take center stage, adding her voice or question only when appropriate. So AML has a first person feel. The program features a hefty-dose of each artist's music. The 5 minute length provides an option for stations looking for other content to replace NPR newscasts.

Performers include Sheryl Crow, Nick Lowe, Bob Mould, Mary Gauthier, Tegan and Sara, John Doe, Jim White, Vusi Mahlasela, Michael Penn, Kristin Hersh, Jill Sobule, Colin Hay, Tift Merritt, Jason Isbell, Francis Dunnery and more, more, more... Hide full description

In the series A Musician?s Life listeners learn about musicians? lives first-hand. We?ll hear from performers at various stages of their career?those on the rise; those who have ?made it? and those who may be struggling for some recognition. They?ll describe both the creative and mundane sides of what they do, including:

? The biggest sacrifice they ever made for their art
? How they work with the music industry
? How they feel about critics and fans
? The realities of touring
? The stories behind specific songs
? Fall-out from writing about people in their personal lives
? Any toll their work takes on their personal lives
? Dealing with writer?s block
? Growing up wanting to be an artist
? Taking care of the voice
? Taking care of one?s health

This is a five-minute weekly series... Show full description


67 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Piece image
Tracey Tanenbaum speaks with Squeeze's founding member Glenn Tilbrook. In the early 1980's critics were comparing Tilbrook and his collaborator Ch...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio


  • Added: May 01, 2009
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Piece image
On this edition of "A Musician's Life" Tracey Tanenbaum speaks with Teddy Thompson. He's still best known as the son of folk legends Richard and L...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio and KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio


  • Added: Apr 28, 2009
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Jorma Kaukonen is best known as a founding member of the seminal psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, but his first love is American roots mus...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio, KUFM - Montana Public Radio, and KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio


  • Added: Apr 16, 2009
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
On this edition of "A Musician's Life" Tracey Tanenbaum speaks with Mark Olson & Gary Louris. The two men co-founded the Jayhawks in 1985. A decad...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio


  • Added: Apr 09, 2009
  • Length: 05:01
  • Purchases: 1
Piece image
On this edition of A Musician's Life with Tracey Tanenbaum folk-rock icons Emily Saliers and Amy Ray muse about their different musical and persona...

Bought by Georgia Public Broadcasting, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, and KUFM - Montana Public Radio


  • Added: Apr 07, 2009
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
On this edition of A Musician's Life, John Wesley Harding talks to Tracey Tanenbaum about his life as an author and singer-songwriter. He's got a ...

  • Added: Mar 30, 2009
  • Length: 05:00
Piece image
Erin Mckeown got her start playing folk-based guitar as a student at Brown University. A decade into her career Erin has developed a genre-defying...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio and WGDR


  • Added: Mar 27, 2009
  • Length: 05:01
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Warren Zanes has taught about contemporary music at the University level. He's also championed the educational program at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio and KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio


  • Added: Jan 26, 2009
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
At 29 Derek Trucks is a veteran of the music business. The slide guitarist founded the Derek Trucks band at 14. By the time he was a teenager he ...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio and KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio


  • Added: Jan 16, 2009
  • Length: 05:01
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Neil Halstead has gotten plenty of comparisons to his fellow countryman the legendary Nick Drake. In fact, Time Out magazine has called Halstead o...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, and New Hampshire Public Radio


  • Added: Jan 06, 2009
  • Length: 05:01
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
Michael Hill says he doesn't judge people but he does judge actions. His music addresses the injustices he sees in the neighborhoods of New York a...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio and Mississippi Public Broadcasting


  • Added: Dec 23, 2008
  • Length: 05:01
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
In the early 1990's critics hailed Matthew Sweet a leader in the world of power pop. His 1991 album "Girlfriend" melded raw guitar sounds with cat...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio and KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio


  • Added: Dec 15, 2008
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
The Proclaimers are Scotland's Charlie and Craig Reid. Here in the States they're best known for the tune "I'm Gonna be (500 miles) popularized in ...

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio


  • Added: Dec 05, 2008
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: PRX default Piece image
The singer-songwriter best known for her indie-rock band "Throwing Muses" talks about her unorthodox, and involuntary approach to making music.

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio


  • Added: Dec 02, 2008
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Piece image
Ralph Covert doesn't see much difference between the music he made with his Chicago indie-rock band The Bad Examples and the songs he churns out fo...

Bought by WGDR and KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio


  • Added: Nov 21, 2008
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
As a young sax player, C.J. Chenier planned to pursue a career in jazz. Then his father Zydeco great Clifton Chenier, recruited his son to play in...

Bought by WGDR


  • Added: Nov 20, 2008
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Piece image
Singer songwriter Duncan Sheik feels much more at ease watching other people perform his work. He likes writing and recording his own albums but h...

Bought by WGDR, KUFM - Montana Public Radio, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, and Mississippi Public Broadcasting


  • Added: Nov 10, 2008
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 4
Piece image
Ben Taylor resisted becoming a musician for a lot of reasons, beginning with the pressure of his lineage. Taylor is the son of James Taylor and Ca...

Bought by WGDR, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KUFM - Montana Public Radio, and KMXT


  • Added: Nov 03, 2008
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 4
Piece image
Meet Garrett Dutton III, AKA G. Love. He was 19 and busking on the streets of Philadelphia when he hit on his signature style--what he's termed "T...

Bought by WGDR and KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio


  • Added: Oct 13, 2008
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Justin Townes Earle talks about his childhood as the son of songwriter Steve Earle, his teenage infatuation with drugs and alcohol and why he prefe...

Bought by WGDR and New Hampshire Public Radio


  • Added: Sep 29, 2008
  • Length: 05:01
  • Purchases: 2