Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
>I find it so fascinating to delve into that process, the writing of
the album, the recording, the release, and its life after release. 

And I'm finding it fascinating how you are publishing a new edition
every few days! I'd like to learn more about your workflow; do you
have several editions in process at a time, mixing and matching
subjects to give each release a unified thematic or genre alignment?
Having gone though the process with you with Pub Fare, I know
there's a fair amount of time between you reaching out and it
appearing in print.

>it tells a story, even when it is not a concept album

It certainly should, I think. My technique for sequencing a live set
(or an album) is to use Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" rubric as
a sort of template. I identify which of the 12 stages in the
journey's itinerary (Call to Adventure > Refusal of Call > Meeting
the Mentor > Crossing the Threshold, etc.) a song most closely
aligns with, and then arrange the tunes in that order. It doesn't
exactly tell a story, but when its over, the listener should feel
like they've gone on a magical adventure and returned subtly
changed.

When I play a two hour show, I typically program two dozen songs, so
there are two tunes for each step of the Journey. I take the set
break right after "Approaching the Inmost Cave" (cliffhanger, no?),
and kick off the second set with The Ordeal > The Reward.

>we delved deep

We did! It was what made me suspect you'd be a good guest for this
interview.
  

    
I've also been working in 3-song setlets. I do a trilogy of cover
tunes to kick off the second set: Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen) >
Turn Off The News (Lukas Nelson) > Gulf Coast Highway (Nancy
Griffith). Each is a love story in and of itself, but taken together
as a suite, they tell the life story of a working American family. I
play them in the same key, so it works as a medley.

I also finish the set with a 3-song suite: Love at the Five and Dime
(Nancy Griffith), T-Bone Steak and Spanish Wine (Tom Russell) >
Closing Time (Lyle Lovett). The connection there is that the phrase
"closing time" is found in each of them, and that's what's coming up
when the show is over. Puts their feet safely back on home turf.