Get your indie rock sensibilities tuned up with Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they build a fake empire at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Gabe kicks things off with a reflection on the Bristol Cider Salon. Beyond the cider makers that stood out (it’s a long list) they also chat about secret fleshy meetings, the awkwardness of being pseudo celebrities, the size of Sam from Wilding's arms, Grant’s overflow status at his table and Martyn’s special “Cider Dance” to the delight of Cider Jim, Gemma and anyone else nearby.

Then it’s onto our big interview where we welcomed two-fifths of one of the most successful indie rock bands in the world. The National took the long route to success with the age-old approach of touring relentlessly and writing music for themselves. They’ve worked with groundbreaking artists including Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Sufjan Stevens and most recently, Taylor Swift. Checking into the hotel this week, it’s Aaron Dessner and Scott Devendorf of The National.

The guys chat everything; being creative during the pandemic, working with Taylor Swift and her Folklore album, touring with Frightened Rabbit, the drain of touring, Martyn’s favorite song from The National, Aaron getting doxxed and the thousands of threats they received, their perspectives on streaming, Aaron’s experience producing Frightened Rabbit’s last full length album (Painting of a Panic Attack), Big Red Machine and what a tour for them might look like, when The National anticipates releasing new music, how they rep their Ohio roots, their process for writing music and their outlook on the future.

Finally, we hit the Speakpipe yet again for a couple of great calls. First up, Blair has a question about the influence of certain swamp creature on Scottish children and Timmy Towers wants to know more about terrior and Gabe is absolutely willing to blag it for his longtime friend from New Zealand.

Only one more show left of Season One, so make sure to tune in next week for an excellent interview with US cider maker Robby Honda of Tanuki Cider as well as stories about the show and it’s future. We’ll also play everything left in the Speakpipe queue, so if you haven’t called in yet, now is the time.

The Team:Gabe is a cider expert: The CiderologistGrant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider ShopMartyn loves to write about cider: CiderShitThe Rest of The Team:Executive Producer/Editor: Scott RiggsMusic: Billy KennedyConnect:Instagram: NeutralCiderHotelFacebook: NeutralCiderHotelTwitter: NeutralCiderPodListen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/ Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

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