Voice & Verse Podcast

On Episode 003 of the Voice & Verse Podcast, my guest is Brendon Urie from Panic! at the Disco. Panic!'s new album, Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!, hit stores last November and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, matching their best chart position ever. You can pick it up on iTunes here, and read more about the making of the album in Alternative Press issue 304 (written by yours truly). I caught up with Brendon backstage at Rams Head Live in Baltimore to talk about writing a song with Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, his Dr. Dre mentality when it comes to composing music, and how an unlikely love inspired the first song he ever wrote. If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes so you don't miss a single episode of the stories behind your favorite songs. Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Episode 002! This week, my guest is Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams and The Terrible Twos. Matt's also an accomplished solo musician; you can pick up his new solo album, Wrist Slitter, here. Additionally, he's a member of the service Downwrite, which connects fans and songwriters to create customized, commissioned songs. I caught up with Matt backstage at The Ottobar in Baltimore to talk about his involvement with Downwrite and why songwriting is at times a bit like parenting. If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe to the Voice & Verse Podcast on iTunes so you don't miss a single episode of the stories behind your favorite songs. Thanks for listening! (26:52)

Hello, and welcome to the very first episode of the Voice & Verse Podcast. This week, I'm pleased to welcome my buddy Joel Madden to the show. Joel is best known as the singer of (and half of the songwriting duo behind) multi-platinum rock band Good Charlotte. These days, he's staying busy as a songwriter and producer, working with newer acts like Emblem3, 5 Seconds of Summer and Krewella. He and his brother Benji are also hard at work on a new album from their band the Madden Brothers. I caught up with Joel to talk about the genesis of "The Anthem," how writing with new artists stretches him creatively and what song he considers to be the gold standard in terms of songwriting. As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here, ensuring you don't miss an episode of the stories behind your favorite songs. (38:34) Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes