As Promised (albeit a little late), here is Michael Clem's followup conversation, updating us on all things Clem. In the span of the time from my initial interview and today as I am releasing this, Mike has releaased "60¢ a Gallon," his newest full leangth album! We talk a bit about that, as well as creative community, the ruts we find ourselves in, and how to get out of them. It was a great talk. You can find 60¢ a Gallon on all your streaming platforms, as well lots of great videos from his open mics and shows on his YouTube channel.

Also, we spoke about a few of his inspirations when it comes to songwriting, including Jeff Tweedy, particularly his book, "How to Write One Song" and Mary Gauthier.

That's it everybody! See you soon!

So Here we are, back together again. It's been a long time since we've hung out, so it's good to see you! I give a little update at the top of the episode, but suffice it to say, it's good be back after a long hiatus!

Michael Clem is on the show today, with a conversation we had oh, about a year ago (still moving forward, ya'll, just not too swiftly). Mike is a smart, witty, hilarious, thoughtful and supersweet guy who is always up for a good stroll along a mountain path, which is by coincidence the very thing we did! I first knew Mike from eddie from ohio, a folk rock band I fell in love with in the 90s and followed steadily until they hung it up just a few years ago. It was cool to get to know him over the years as a colleague and a friend, and was so excited when he agreed to do this podcast.

You might remember I interviewed former bandmate, Robbie Schaefer, back in 2019, and we get to finally hear Mike's side of the story, as well as lots of great nuggets about life, house shows, songwriting classes and Tchaikovsky.

Mike can be found at michaelclem.com, as well as his YouTube Channel, where you can find a video of Mike performing a song we chatted briefly about, Philmore Hall, from his 50 Clementines album, featuring the absolute perfect choice for a trumpet soloist you could find for this great song! Also ones we chatted about: Number Six Driver & Walk Humbly Son.

Songs played on the episode:

Squirrels

Roll Rivanna

If you've tuned in to NPR over the last 44 years, the likelihood is pretty great that you have heard this on-air credit. It's because when BJ sold his themes to NPR, he made it a part of his contract that he would receive spoken recognition for his work. Little did he know he'd become one of the most recognizable names on the network.

BJ's NPR credits include Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me, Marketplace, Car Talk, and Science Friday.

BJ has been in the music making business his entire life, and it encompasses much more than 30 second jingles (although he is damn good at them). In 2017, BJ released his debut album of original songs, entitled
"BJ", although that wasn't his first choice. "Natural Public Leiderman" didn't sit all that well with NPR's lawyers, so he went with the more eponymous title.

So much to share with all of you good folks! If you click on the album above (the NPR-approved version), you'll be directed to his website where not only can you purchase this fine collection, he also has shared multiple fantastic videos of his songs, including a funky animated interpretation of "Walking Down The Street", a boppy, upbeat song about getting dumped by his girlfriend and subsequently making his way to the top of the Empire State Building and jumping off the observation deck, plus all the adventures and observations on the way down. Yep, boppy.

We talk at length about the album, the personal investment in the songwriting, where they come from, and what they draw their life from. We also talk about the purpose of music in "moving the needle", so to speak. Good, good stuff. He really is a deeply thoughtful and intentional songwriter and you know right away where he stands when you hear it.

If you're an Ashvillian, check out the BJL in AVL group on Facebook that we chatted about. He's hoping to get the ball rolling for an in-person meet up -- mostly so he can get out from behind a computer screen and into the real world with real people!

Oh, and if you are still unsure if you've heard his music on the radio, enjoy this video he put together a few years back. The most creative self promotional media I believe I've ever seen!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4xr_i3aRxU]