Last week during Americanafest, Amazon Music filmed a roundtable discussion with John Prine, Brandi Carlile, Margo Price, Jason Isbell, Dave Cobb and Amanda Shires as part of their show Today in Music.
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Host Adam Steiner interviewed the Americana singer-songwriters (and producer) at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, and they discussed a wide range of topics from "Disco Duck" to Carrabba's.
The artists reflected on what piqued their interest in music. Shires cited picking pecans to Shenandoah, Carlile and Price reflected on hiding Snoop Dogg from their parents and Isbell credited his elementary school music teacher who followed the Stones on tour and gave him R.E.M. mixtapes.
Carlile noted queer artists like Elton John, whom she discovered through a fifth-grade book report about the AIDS crisis, as major influences. Shires talked Leonard Cohen in great detail in relation to her songwriting.
Read More: Jason Isbell, John Prine Among Top Winners at 2018 Americana Music Awards
Cobb made great points on Revolver by The Beatles and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Live at The Fox Theater saying, "I always loved records that are like watching a film."
When discussing how they choose producers, Price talked about her working relationship with Matt Ross-Spang, who greatly helped catapult her first record into existence. Cobb claimed all studio sessions revolve around food, saying tequila and fried chicken was the "secret sauce" for Prine's latest, The Tree of Forgiveness.
The roundtable discussion offers an interesting perspective on Americana from some of the brightest in the genre, accented with banter and eye-opening anecdotes. Watch the entire conversation above.
Both Price and Prine have recently released new songs through Amazon Music's Produced By series. The two songwriters were paired with influential producer Matt Ross-Spang. Price released her new song "Leftovers," while Prine released a new version of his song "How Lucky," which originally appeared on his 1979 album Pink Cadillac.
