Behind the Setlist
Chris Isaak’s Love of Holiday Music Runs Deep: Behind the Setlist Podcast
Chris Isaak doesn’t just dabble in holiday music — he’s loved it since growing up in Stockton, in California’s Central Valley, listening to Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Vince Guaraldi, Gene Autrey’s “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and Roy Orbison’s version of the Willie Nelson song “Pretty Paper.” Those influences come through on his latest album, Everybody Knows It’s Christmas, released Oct. 14 through Sun Label Group. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I guess whatever you listen to when you’re a kid, that’s in your head and that’s really Christmas — because you’re never going to beat that excitement,” the singer tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast. Everybody Knows It’s Christmas is Isaak’s second studio album of holi...
Soccer Mommy on Playing the Pavement Museum in New York: Behind the Setlist Podcast
Through three albums of guitar-driven, melodic ear candy, Soccer Mommy has reveled in the sounds of ‘90s indie rock. So it was no surprise the band was chosen to perform at Pavements 1933 to 2022, the indie rock legend Pavement‘s pop-up museum in New York City that ran from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 and will be displayed permanently in the band’s hometown of Stockton, California. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “It was really fun,” Sophie Allison, a.k.a. Soccer Mommy, tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast. “I mean, it was it was something that we were dying to do, honestly, because me and all the people in my live band love Pavement.” Allison and her band covered three songs at the Oct. 1 performance: “Here,” “Gold Soundz” and “Spit on a ...
Brett James Talks ‘Greatest Songwriting Day’ With Kenny Chesney on Behind the Setlist Podcast
Brett James has spent countless days co-writing with a who’s who of Nashville musicians and songwriters, crafting songs that would be recorded by the likes of Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and Dierks Bentley. One day stands out as perhaps his most fruitful songwriting session: writing with Kenny Chesney at the country star’s house on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Two days after getting a call from Chesney, James was with the country singer on St. John on a December evening. “We smelled that salt there and felt the warm breeze and went out and had some fun that particular night,” the Nashville-based songwriter recalls for Billboard‘s Behind the Setlist podcast. “The next morning, I wake up an...
Tears for Fears’ Curt Smith Talks Taking ‘Mad World’ Back to Its Roots on ‘Behind the Setlist’ Podcast
Curt Smith of Tears for Fears is excited to have new material to play live. The group’s new release, The Tipping Point, was its first studio album in nearly 18 years. “The fun part of the first week to two weeks of touring is, you may not have got it right,” he tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast. “And you may want to change things for the first bunch of shows. So until you get in front of an audience, you don’t know 100% what’s going to work.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Smith and bandmate Roland Orzabal first hit the charts in the U.K. in 1982 with “Mad World.” For a time, the band performed the song to sound like the darker Gary Jules and Michael Andrews version that was featured on the soundtrack to the film Donnie Dark...
Ann Wilson of Heart Talks Queen & The Who Covers, Plus New Music on Behind the Setlist Podcast
More than five decades into her music career, Ann Wilson, co-founder of the legendary rock group Heart, knows which songs work – and work well together – onstage. “You want to give people an experience,” she tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast (listen below). “You want to have an experience yourself. And if the set is designed right, it’s just like a natural momentum.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news At her concert at the Neptune Theater in Seattle on Oct. 13, Wilson played three songs from her new album, Fierce Bliss, released April 29: “Greed,” “Black Wing,” and a cover of Queen‘s “Love of My Life.” She also performed a number of Heart favorites, such as “Crazy on You,” “Barracuda,” “Even It Up” and “Love Alive” — but not the band’s ...
