Riffs on Riffs Podcast By Evergreen Podcasts cover art

Riffs on Riffs

Riffs on Riffs

By: Evergreen Podcasts
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Riffs on Riffs is about the thrill of musical discovery — that tingle down your spine when a perfect melody kicks in. Every chart-topper is a sonic time capsule. We'll crack it open, trace its history, decode those cryptic lyrics, and unearth the hidden gems in its musical DNA. Hosts Joe and Toby are back as your audio archaeologists, digging up the stories behind the songs. But here's where it gets fun. From those melodies, we riff. Wild tangents, pop culture connections, personal stories, those "shower thoughts" sparked by a killer chorus – think of it as the ultimate deep dive followed by a freewheeling jam session inspired by the hits. Dust off your headphones and get ready to rediscover those songs you thought you knew.All rights reserved 2025 Music
Episodes
  • Ariana Grande "petal"

    Ariana Grande "petal"
    Aug 27 2026
    Ariana Grande is going a little feral, but she’s doing it with remarkable restraint. This week, Joe and Toby dig into “Petal” and Ariana’s latest album, exploring how one of pop’s most gifted vocalists is choosing subtlety over fireworks and using her music to say some things she may have been too polite to say before. The image of a flower pushing through concrete becomes the perfect metaphor: resilience isn’t always about becoming harder. Sometimes it’s about staying soft, authentic, and unmistakably yourself despite everything pushing against you. From there, the riffs go where the riffs go. The guys wrestle with the price of fame, our strange sense of ownership over artists, the pressure to constantly achieve more, and why walking away can sometimes be as courageous as pushing forward. They get into work-life balance, artists like André 3000 and Fiona Apple who chose different paths, handwritten letters, looksmaxxing, aging, beauty standards, and the exhausting pursuit of external validation. Ultimately, it all comes back to boundaries: knowing what belongs to the world, what belongs to you, and when it’s time to put up the stop sign. Plus: Earl Grey, Doctor Doom, gym mirrors, gray beards, terrible tours, and a surprisingly useful theory involving speed bumps. How are you growing through the concrete? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Angine de Poitrine "Fabienk"

    Angine de Poitrine "Fabienk"
    Aug 4 2026
    Prepare for an intergalactic funk transmission as Joe and Toby explore “Fabiano” by Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine. Armed with masks, polka dots, microtonal guitars, dizzying rhythms, and enough looping pedals to frighten a Guitar Hero champion, these two musicians create a sound that is equal parts math rock, funk, jazz, and delightful absurdity. But the riffs quickly launch a much bigger conversation. What does anonymity allow an artist to create? Can limitations actually make us more inventive? Who should be trusted with an unfinished idea, and how do we keep one careless opinion from crushing the creative cake before it has finished baking? Joe and Toby also dig into the power of long-term creative partnerships, the confidence born from struggle, the tension between artistic freedom and the desire for recognition, and the identities that remain underneath our everyday careers. Plus, they consider what their 13-year-old selves would think of them today and share some of the artists currently filling their headphones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Sienna Spiro "Die On This Hill"

    Sienna Spiro "Die On This Hill"
    Jul 22 2026
    What are you willing to die on a hill for? For rising British singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro, the question becomes a haunting exploration of loyalty, stubbornness, and the moment you realize you may be fighting for someone who would never fight for you. In this episode, Joe and Toby dig into Spiro’s breathtaking single “Die on This Hill,” from its stripped-back piano opening and sweeping string arrangement to the audible sigh that closes the track. They explore how a failed attempt to learn “Bohemian Rhapsody” sparked the song, why it took countless versions to uncover its true form, and how Spiro learned that restraint can sometimes reveal more than vocal fireworks. The conversation also traces the influences behind her timeless sound, including Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Nina Simone, Adele, Lana Del Rey, and Amy Winehouse, along with the remarkable praise she has received from Sir Elton John. Along the way, Joe and Toby wrestle with artistic vulnerability, stage personas, the value of creative repetition, and why listeners may be craving unmistakably human music in the age of AI. Plus, the guys share what they have been listening to lately, champion artists still bubbling beneath the algorithm, and make the case for why Sienna Spiro is unquestionably vinyl worthy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    53 mins
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