On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got a Talkhouse favorite in conversation with a guy who’s spent a lot of time behind the scenes on some incredible records. It’s M.C. Taylor and Josh Kaufman.
Taylor has been making music under the curious name Hiss Golden Messenger for two decades now, and he’s amassed an incredible—and incredibly varied—catalog of music that’s never easy to pin down. There are elements of rock, folk, even elements of what was called alt-country for a while there. But what ties it all together is a true vision: Taylor has a singular voice and passion that runs through all of his records. The latest is called I’m People and it’s concerned with nothing less than community, music-making, heartbreak, and the world at large. He does not aim low, in other words. It’s his most ambitious and maybe accessible in a while, and as usually features a motley crew of guests and regulars, including Sam Beam of Iron & Wine, Bruce Hornsby, and Sara Watkins, among others. Check out the song “Shaky Eyes” right here.
Now in addition to all of those day players on I’m People there was a guy there for most of the process, writing and playing along with Taylor: Josh Kaufman. Now Kaufman might be best known as part of the trio Bonny Light Horseman along with Anaïs Mitchell and Eric D. Johnson, but he’s done amazing work slightly behind the scenes, too. He was one of the driving forces behind the massive Day of the Dead Grateful Dead tribute a few years back; he was a key part of some records by the National; he played on a few Taylor Swift records—yes, that Taylor Swift—and he was integral to the solo albums by our old pal Craig Finn. He’s also, as you’ll hear in this chat, a guy who just loves to talk about and play music. One of us, in other words.
In this chat, Taylor and Kaufman talk about making I’m People as well as the other Hiss Golden Messenger records they worked on together. They talk about how they first met, which was sort of a magical moment, plus a Bruce Hornsby show with a few too many guest players, lots of bass players, and not enough inputs. Enjoy.
0:00 - Introduction
02:39 - Start of conversation
03:08 - On how they met, and how their friendship helped them collaborate on I’m People
06:26 - On learning to maintain adult friendships, and connecting as musicians
09:25 - On the different studios they’ve worked in together, playing with Bruce Hornsby, and recording experiences
13:30 - On chasing perfection in the studio, spontaneity, and whether taking too long on albums makes them worse
16:41 - On recording past collaborations together
18:17 - On recording I’m People at Dreamland, and the music scene upstate in the 90s
20:39 - On being inspired by the physical drama of upstate NY and North Carolina, and unique studios
23:10 - On drawing fresh inspiration and references from records from the past while maintaining their own sound
27:14 - On how the musicians they’ve worked with have evolved and changed, and meeting their favorite collaborators
33:04 - On how the vibe of Dreamland influences the music, and the pros of recording portions at home
35:09 - On the records and types of music that inspired them
Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast and thanks to M.C. Taylor and Josh Kaufman for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!
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