It is truly amazing when an artist can use the same tools for decades and continue to create vibrant, urgent, singular work. If there’s any musician that I know who fits this description, it’s Charlie Parr. He gets miles out of a few different guitars and his voice. On his new album, Last of the The Better Days Ahead, he took a new approach to songwriting, focusing on the lyrics before he picked up a guitar. The result is a record that really slows you down, helps you listen, and brings the worlds and stories that Charlie creates into focus. 

It was such a pleasure to talk with Charlie for the podcast. Please forgive some of the background noise on my end. I was traveling this summer when we talked, and I could only get phone service outside. So you might hear a leaf blower and some birds in the background. 

Enjoy the conversation and check out Charlie’s new record and tour dates at his website.