Cold War Kids and Scott Goldman at the GRAMMY Museum

Cold War Kids and Scott Goldman

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Cold War Kids: Inside "First," 'L.A. Divine' & More | "Required Listening"

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Nathan Willett and Matt Maust reveal why 'L.A. Divine' is a different sort of "greatest hits" and the metal band they were "too scared" to tour with
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Apr 26, 2018 - 8:25 am

Since their 2006 debut album, Robbers & Cowards, indie rockers Cold War Kids have built a reputation for daring sonics, inventive storytelling and creative risk-taking. On this week's episode of the GRAMMY Museum's "Required Listening" podcast, lead vocalist Nathan Willett and bassist Matt Maust reveal the blueprint the group followed on their latest studio endeavor, 2017's L.A. Divine.

Listen Now: "Required Listening" Episode With Cold War Kids

"For this record, [we tried to take] everywhere we had been, sonically and songwriting, and really just [try] to do the best version of everything that we have done," said Willett. "That's the way that I thought about it going into it."

"It's almost a reaction [to] all five of our [previous] records. It's our greatest hits that is not a greatest hits," added Maust.

In a 40-minute-plus conversation with GRAMMY Museum Executive Director/host Scott Goldman, Willett and Maust detail how their songwriting has evolved over the years, their approach to writing lyrics, the success of their hit "First," favorite bands and inspirations, the origins of their band name, and the metal band they were too scared to tour with.

"In our first year of being a band, we were asked to go on tour with Slayer," said Willett. "We were too scared. We thought we would get goat's blood thrown at us or something."

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Imagine Dragons at the GRAMMY Museum

Imagine Dragons

Photo: Alison Buck/Getty Images

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GRAMMY Museum, HowStuffWorks Launch "Required Listening" Podcast

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In partnership with the Recording Academy, new podcast gives listeners exclusive access to the most amazing music artists on the planet; new episodes to roll out twice weekly
THE GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
Jan 28, 2018 - 12:16 pm

Podcasts are having a moment.  Music streaming services are having another big year.

For the first time, the two mediums will come together to tell the biggest stories in the music industry from the best, most creative musicians and singers anywhere with "Required Listening," a new podcast from HowStuffWorks and the GRAMMY Museum in partnership with the Recording Academy.

Launched on GRAMMY Sunday, Jan. 28, the first episode features a captivating conversation with GRAMMY winners Imagine Dragons. With episodes rolling out twice weekly (Tuesdays and Thursdays), future guests will include P Diddy, Dan Auerbach, Jimmy Iovine, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Lindsey Buckingham and Christie McVie of Fleetwood Mac, among others.

Listen Now: "Required Listening," Episode 1 With Imagine Dragons

The respected voice of The Recording Academy (The GRAMMYs) gives listeners exclusive access to the most amazing music artists on the planet. Each week, the program promises to “blow people's minds by providing an all-access pass to the artist inner circle.”  

Scott Goldman at the GRAMMY Museum

Photo: Vivian Killilea/Getty Images

More than just an interview show, "Required Listening" is an inspirational look at what makes each artist tick, how they got their start, and how they got to where they are today, bringing listeners that much closer to the artist and their journey.

The interview sessions are hosted by Scott Goldman, Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum at the Clive Davis Theater in Los Angeles in front of a live audience.

"Establishing a podcast is an important step in the continuing evolution of the GRAMMY Museum," says Goldman, "'Required Listening' will bring audiences everywhere inside our Clive Davis Theatre for conversation, insight and inspiration with artists from across the musical spectrum."

Listen: New "Required Listening" Podcast By The GRAMMY Museum & HowStuffWorks

Andy Grammer and Scott Goldman at the GRAMMY Museum

Andy Grammer and Scott Goldman

 

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/WireImage.com

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Who Is Andy Grammer And What Are 'The Good Parts'? | "Required Listening"

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L.A.-based singer/songwriter opens up about fatherhood, collaboration and how he came up with the goods for his third studio LP
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
May 3, 2018 - 4:50 pm

Andy Grammer's remarkable music career has taken him from strumming a guitar on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif., to crafting multi-platinum pop hits in the recording studio. On this week's episode of the GRAMMY Museum's "Required Listening" podcast, the prolific singer/songwriter shared the biggest lesson he learned from performing on the streets for complete strangers.

Listen Now: "Required Listening" Episode With Andy Grammer

"The number one thing [I learned from busking] is the ability to just act without any guarantee of anything happening in return," said Grammer. "There's no greater place to do that every day than [on] the street because there's nobody there [to see] you. … It's a great muscle to build."

In a wide-ranging chat with GRAMMY Museum Executive Director/host Scott Goldman, the "Fresh Eyes" singer also shared how fatherhood and collaboration sparked the songwriting process for his latest album, The Good Parts, and why albums provide for a truer snapshot of a musician's art.

"One of the biggest benefits of writing with others is that it makes you write," said Grammer, who collaborated with songwriters Ian Kirkpatrick and Ross Golan, among others, on the new LP. "If you have a session on the books with somebody else, you're going to write a song that day. If you have a session by yourself, you might. That's just real."

Speaking of real, nothing can prepare you for the real emotions that hit you upon becoming a first-time parent. For Grammer, he channeled his feelings into "Always," an angelic tribute to his newborn daughter featured on The Good Parts.

"It definitely opens you up to a whole new area of life, which is fun to write about," said Grammer. "It's such a big thing that when you're able to distill it down to a line, it holds. When you say to your daughter, 'You and me will be always,' that's like a simple little line that means [so much]."

As far as the modern debate over releasing songs versus albums? Put Grammer down as "pro-album."

"With one song, you can get an idea," said Grammer. "With 12 songs you can get a real sense of where somebody is.

"As you go along creating art, you have a feeling of how you personally feel about it. And you go about the process of trying to get it out of yourself. And then [you] give it to [the fans]."

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Panic! At The Disco's Brendon Urie

Panic! At The Disco's Brendon Urie

Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

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Join Blink-182, Panic! At The Disco, Alice Merton For Weenie Roast 2018

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Additional performers include Bishop Briggs, the War on Drugs, Rise Against, and more
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Apr 23, 2018 - 1:40 pm

For the 26th year, KROQ-FM's flagship summer concert, the Weenie Roast, is returning to Southern California.

On April 23, the popular concert event revealed its 2018 lineup, which includes Blink-182, Panic! At The Disco, Rise Against, Dirty Heads, Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda, Cold War Kids, the War On Drugs, AWOLNATION, Bishop Briggs, Alice Merton, Manchester Orchestra, James Bay, Nothing But Thieves, and Mt. Joy.

As with past roasts, this year's installment will benefit two charities: Heal the Bay and The Surfrider Foundation.

The concert will be held May 12 at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, Calif. Tickets go on sale starting April 27 via AXS.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Weezer and Scott Goldman at the GRAMMY Museum

Weezer and Scott Goldman (right)

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/WireImage.com

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Weezer: How "The White Album" Mixes Bright & Dark "Required Listening"

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On the new episode of "Required Listening," learn how the GRAMMY winners channeled the Beach Boys and incorporated Google spreadsheets in a bid to recapture their iconic '90s sound
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Apr 16, 2018 - 9:18 am

With a backlog of hits like "Buddy Holly," "Hash Pipe," "Beverly Hills," and "Pork And Beans," Weezer have proven their ability to serve up catchy melodies and chunky guitars with a high-gloss power-pop sheen. On this week's episode of the GRAMMY Museum's "Required Listening" podcast, the quintet reveals the sonic recipe they used to cook up their eponymous 10th studio album (aka "The White Album").

Listen Now: "Required Listening" Episode With Weezer

While the LP recalls some of the band's earlier work on hit albums such as 1994's Weezer and 1996's Pinkerton, it was also influenced by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys.

"For me, there's pretty much a dark side wherever I am," said frontman Rivers Cuomo. "There's bright and dark. I like to mix it up. Traditionally, I guess beach music is considered pretty bright and happy. But I also appreciated when the Beach Boys put some melancholy underneath it all. I was very excited to do Weezer's take on the whole beach thing and see what we could find on the other side."

Weezer was the first LP the band worked on with producer Jake Sinclair, who has worked with the likes of Taylor Swift, Pink, Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco. Sinclair, who once played in a Weezer tribute band, proved to be a perfect sounding board to craft new Weezer classics such as "California Kids."

"I had about 10 ideas for each song," said rhythm guitarist Brian Bell. "Jake was good at arranging those ideas in ways that I might not have thought of. Once we started on that kind of working pattern, it came really easy."

The 30-minute-plus conversation with GRAMMY Museum Executive Director/host Scott Goldman also broaches topics such how Weezer respond to critics' reviews, their interactive relationship with their audience, and how spreadsheets play into the songwriting process.

"I'm constantly changing [things]," said Cuomo. "I do have things that I come back to — a stockpile of lyrics and, yes, now it's on a Google spreadsheet. … It's giant. I have thousands of lines now."

Subscribe To "Required Listening" And Listen Now At Apple Music