The Bandwich Tapes

On this episode of The Bandwich Tapes, I sit down with South Carolina country artist Kile Antone for a conversation about music, songwriting, faith, identity, and finding your way back to something you thought you had left behind.

Kile’s path to country music has been anything but conventional. He began playing guitar as a teenager, but life eventually took him into law enforcement, ministry, and work as a paramedic. For nearly 30 years, he rarely performed country music in public. Then, a few years ago, he walked into an open mic with his guitar, so nervous he was physically shaking, and sang a few songs. That night started a new chapter.

We spend a lot of time talking about how those years away from the stage now inform Kile’s songwriting. His song “Drink Some More” grew from a late-night message from someone going through a difficult moment and Kile’s own memories of growing up in a home affected by alcoholism and violence. We talk about protecting the people behind a song while still preserving its emotional truth, why a song doesn’t have to follow a prescribed structure, and how country music can say an enormous amount with very little.

The conversation also moves into more personal territory as Kile talks about separating who he is from the roles he has occupied throughout his life. He shares a powerful story about being asked by a counselor, “Who is Kile Antone?” and realizing that pastor, police officer, and paramedic were answers to what he did—not who he was. That leads us into a discussion about music as a place where he can simply be himself, and about how age and perspective can change the reasons we make music in the first place.

We also talk about performing solo versus playing with a band, learning to read a room, his Open Range Band and Stormfront Band, and the new opportunities that have emerged through his friendship and work with country artist Leon Everett. Kile also shares what’s ahead, including his first album, original songs, a duet with Leon Everett, and his recording of George Strait’s “Christmas Cookies.”

Key Takeaways

• Kile returned to performing country music after nearly 30 years away from the public stage, beginning with three songs at a local open mic.
• His experiences in law enforcement, ministry, and emergency medicine have given him a deep reservoir of real-life stories and emotions to draw from as a songwriter.
• “Drink Some More” was written in roughly 30 minutes after Kile received a late-night message from someone dealing with the consequences of alcohol and conflict.
• Kile believes in protecting the identities of the people who inspire his songs while remaining faithful to the emotional truth of their stories.
• His unconventional journey back to music has become as much about rediscovering his identity as it is about building a career.
• Performing has given Kile an outlet separate from the weight and responsibility that have accompanied much of his professional life.
• His growing musical career includes solo performances, the Open Range Band, Kile Antone and the Stormfront Band, recordings with Leon Everett, and work toward his first full album.

Music from the Episode

Drink Some More - Kile Antone
 
About the Podcast

The Bandwich Tapes is a podcast about the people who make music and the experiences that shape the way they make it. I sit down with musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, and other creative people for conversations about craft, collaboration, careers, influences, and the stories behind the music.

Connect with the Show

Questions, comments, or guest suggestions? 
Reach out at contact@thebandwichtapes.com.

On this episode of The Bandwich Tapes, I sit down with James Woods for a conversation centered on a part of his creative life that may surprise people who primarily know him as an actor: songwriting.

James talks about the remarkable burst of creativity that has produced more than 75 songs and a series of concept albums created alongside Shooter Jennings and Bob Wayne. We dig into his upcoming album, The Killer’s Wife, the single “The Hearts of Men,” and the real-life experience that became the starting point for the album’s fictional story.

What interested me most was the difference James sees between acting and songwriting. As an actor, he spent decades interpreting someone else’s words and vision. Songwriting has given him the opportunity to begin with a blank page and say exactly what he wants to say. We talk about writing quickly, trusting instinct, revising individual words until they feel right, and what happens when a song seems to arrive almost fully formed.

James also takes us inside the collaborative process with Shooter Jennings, Bob Wayne, and the musicians who bring these records to life. He describes watching players hear a song, make a chart, and begin shaping the music almost immediately — and how their individual choices can transform the emotional meaning of something he originally wrote alone.

Ultimately, this is a conversation about creative second acts. James reflects on finding a new artistic path later in life, writing from personal experience, creating his own record label, and why he believes artists should look for ways to retain control of their work. For someone who spent much of his career bringing other people’s stories to life, songwriting has become an opportunity to finally tell his own.

Key Takeaways

• James Woods has written more than 75 songs and describes songwriting as an unexpected creative outpouring that emerged later in his life.
• He sees a fundamental difference between acting and songwriting: acting is interpretive, while songwriting allows him to originate the words, ideas, and perspective himself.
• His collaboration with Shooter Jennings began during the COVID era and eventually expanded to include Bob Wayne, with whom Woods developed an unusually fast and productive writing partnership.
• Concept albums have become central to Woods’ approach. Rather than treating songs as isolated pieces, he likes creating records connected by characters, ideas, imagery, and narrative themes.
• The Killer’s Wife grew from an experience Woods had as a young man, but he transformed that memory into a fictional narrative rather than attempting to document the actual people involved.
• Woods places enormous value on the contributions of musicians in the studio, describing how players such as Aubrey Richmond, Jamie Douglass, John Schreffler Jr., and Ted Russell Kamp can dramatically reshape a song through instinctive musical choices.
• Woods views this period as a creative second act and hopes his independent approach to making and releasing music can encourage other artists to find ways to maintain greater control of their work.

Music from the Episode
Song - Artist
About the Podcast

The Bandwich Tapes is a podcast about music, the people who make it, and the experiences that shape a creative life. Hosted by musician Brad Williams, the show features conversations with artists, songwriters, producers, composers, and other music professionals about their careers, creative processes, collaborations, influences, and the craft behind their work.

Connect with the Show

Questions, comments, or guest suggestions?
contact@thebandwichtapes.com

On this episode of The Bandwich Tapes, I sit down with drummer and educator Nate Morton for a wide-ranging conversation about musicianship, preparation, versatility, listening, and the skills that build a career long after you leave the practice room.

Nate is best known to many listeners as the drummer for NBC’s The Voice, a gig that requires him to move effortlessly between rock, pop, country, R&B, blues, and just about anything else that lands on the music stand. We talk about how a childhood filled with everything from KISS and Michael Jackson to George Clinton, the Beatles, the O’Jays, the Temptations, Barry White, and Booker T. & the M.G.’s helped build that musical vocabulary. Nate explains why his goal was never to become the “rock guy” or the “jazz guy.” He wanted to become the always-employed guy.

But much of our conversation is about what happens beyond the notes. Nate and I dig into preparation, organization, punctuality, adaptability, and musicians' responsibility to the people around them. He shares lessons from his time at Berklee College of Music, including the realization that learning what not to play can be just as important as developing the ability to play. A story about watching Abraham Laboriel Jr. take a four-bar solo becomes a lesson in confidence, restraint, and musical maturity.

We also delve deeply into the relationship among drums, bass, singers, and the rest of the band. Nate explains how he adjusts his playing to different vocalists, why listening matters more than showing off, and how his relationship with bassist Sasha Krivtsov on The Voice allows the rhythm section to constantly react and adapt to one another. His philosophy is simple: the band only sounds good when everyone sounds good.

Along the way, we talk about teaching, technology, learning music before everything was a click away, the value of relationships, and why small interactions can have an enormous impact on another musician. This one became much more than a conversation about drumming. It’s about professionalism, curiosity, generosity, and what it actually takes to build a life in music.
Key Takeaways
Preparation extends far beyond practicing your instrument. Being on time, organized, dependable, adaptable, and respectful of other people’s time can be as important to a career as technical ability.
Versatility creates opportunity. Nate intentionally developed enough vocabulary across multiple styles to walk into different musical situations comfortably. His goal was to become the “always-employed guy.”
Listening is one of the most important skills on the bandstand. Whether working with a singer, bassist, guitarist, or an entire ensemble, Nate constantly adjusts his playing according to what everyone else is doing.
Great musicians know when not to play. Nate’s story about Abraham Laboriel Jr. at Berklee illustrates how confidence and restraint can communicate more than filling every available space.
Adaptability matters more than perfect circumstances. From forgotten floor tom legs to unfamiliar backline setups, Nate learned that sometimes you simply have to “sit down and make music.”
Music school can give you tools, but the real world teaches you where to use them. Berklee gave Nate technical vocabulary and a safe environment to make mistakes, while professional gigs taught him context, restraint, and musical judgment.
Relationships matter. Nate sees genuine human interaction as one of the central principles of both his career and his life, whether he is working with another musician, teaching a student, or answering a question from someone who reaches out online.
Music from the Episode
I Think I Just Said That - Fraud Prophets
Scrubs - Fraud Prophets
Homer's Journey - Fraud Prophets
Moths and Mosquitoes - Fraud Prophets
About the Podcast

The Bandwich Tapes is a podcast about the people who make music and the experiences that shape them. I sit down with musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, and other creative people for thoughtful conversations about craft, collaboration, careers, influences, and the realities of making music. The goal is simple: get beyond the résumé and talk about how music actually gets made.
Connect with the Show

Questions, comments, guest suggestions, or just want to say hello?
contact@thebandwichtapes.com

On this episode of The Bandwich Tapes, I sit down with legendary drummer Joey Baron for one of the most thoughtful conversations I’ve ever had about what it truly means to make music. Rather than talking about chops or technique, Joey takes us deep into the ideas of touch, tone, sound production, and why a musician’s relationship with space is just as important as the notes they choose to play.

We explore Joey’s remarkable career, from growing up in Richmond, Virginia, to studying briefly at Berklee before learning on the bandstand alongside musicians like Joe Lovano and John Scofield. He shares stories about playing with Carmen McRae, Bill Frisell, John Abercrombie, Jim Hall, David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, Steve Kuhn, and many more, but what emerges isn’t a collection of famous names. It’s a philosophy of listening deeply and serving the music above everything else.

Our conversation also dives into the pursuit of personal sound. Joey explains how losing all of his cymbals early in his career unexpectedly changed the way he thought about instruments, leading him to focus less on equipment and more on touch, tone, and expression. Along the way, we discuss why great musicians sound like themselves regardless of the instrument they’re playing, why the best artists never waste notes, and how silence can often communicate more than virtuosity.

It’s a conversation about listening, not just to music, but to people, spaces, and the world around us—and why that kind of attention remains one of the greatest gifts a musician can develop.
Key Takeaways
Joey explains why touch and sound production matter more than technical ability or expensive instruments.
We discuss how tuning drums is influenced by the acoustics of each performance space rather than fixed settings.
Joey shares lessons learned from artists including Carmen McRae, Jim Hall, John Abercrombie, Steve Kuhn, Bill Frisell, David Bowie, Brian Eno, and Laurie Anderson.
Losing his cymbals early in his career forced him to rethink his relationship with equipment and focus on creating sound from whatever instruments were available.
Joey reflects on why great musicians never waste notes and how silence is often one of music’s most powerful tools.
We explore the value of musical curiosity beyond genres and why listening broadly shaped his artistic voice.
Joey discusses his current work in Europe and why creating music that genuinely moves people remains his guiding purpose.
Music from the Episode
Faith in You - Marc Johnson
You Bet - John Scofield
Just You, Just Me - Joey Baron & MixMonk
Outside - David Bowie
About the Podcast

The Bandwich Tapes is a long-form interview podcast where I sit down with musicians, composers, producers, and music industry veterans to explore the creative decisions that shape great music. Together we dig into artistry, collaboration, musical philosophy, and the experiences that define a lifetime of making music.

Connect with the Show

Email: contact@thebandwichtapes.com

On this episode of The Bandwich Tapes, I sit down with acclaimed percussionist Joby Burgess for a fascinating conversation about life as one of the world’s most in-demand recording musicians. From film scores and orchestral performances to contemporary classical music and solo projects, Joby shares what it really means to build a career grounded in versatility, collaboration, and an endless curiosity about sound.

We talk about the unique challenges of being a modern percussionist, where every project might require a completely different set of instruments, techniques, and musical vocabulary. Joby explains how he prepares for sessions, why he thinks of collections of percussion instruments as a single musical voice, and how years of experience have taught him to focus on melody, phrasing, and storytelling rather than simply striking objects.

Our conversation also explores the creative process behind recording major film scores, including his work with Ludwig Göransson on The Odyssey. Joby offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how composers, producers, engineers, and percussionists collaborate to discover sounds that often don’t yet exist. From bringing collections of gongs into the studio to improvising solutions with whatever objects are nearby, every recording session becomes an exercise in creative problem-solving.

Along the way, we revisit the music that shaped Joby’s artistic path, including Stravinsky, Frank Zappa, Edgard Varèse, and contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Morton Feldman. It’s a conversation about listening deeply, embracing collaboration, and discovering that a great percussionist is often as much a musical problem solver as a performer.
Key Takeaways
Joby explains how modern percussionists constantly shift between instruments while maintaining a single musical voice.
We discuss the similarities between performing contemporary classical music and recording major Hollywood film scores.
Joby shares how collaboration with composers often begins long before recording, helping shape the palette of sounds available for a project.
He offers behind-the-scenes insight into recording The Odyssey with Ludwig Göransson and the creative process of finding the perfect percussion sounds.
We explore the influence of Frank Zappa, Stravinsky, Edgard Varèse, Steve Reich, and other composers on Joby’s musical development.
Joby reflects on why experience, adaptability, and problem-solving have become some of the most valuable skills in his career.
We discuss the importance of learning from master musicians and why observing great players can be as valuable as formal instruction.
Music from the Episode
Psappha (Iannis Xenakis) - Joby Burgess, percussion
The King of Denmark (Morton Feldman) - Joby Burgess, percussion
Troy, from The Odyssey (Ludwig Göransson) - Joby Burgess, percussion
Concerto for Bass Drum and Orchestra (Gabriel Prokofiev) - Joby Burgess, percussion
About the Podcast

The Bandwich Tapes is a long-form interview podcast where I sit down with musicians, composers, producers, and music industry veterans to explore the stories behind their careers, creative process, collaborations, and musical philosophy. Every episode goes beyond biography to examine how great music is actually made.
Connect with the Show

Email: contact@thebandwichtapes.com