The Guestlist With Sean Cannon

Killer Mike and El-P of Run the Jewels discuss the importance of being upfront with each other about their feelings and how it felt to meet their best friends (each other) later in life.

The new Manchester Orchestra album, "A Black Mile To The Surface," took a lot out of frontman Andy Hull. Not content to rest on his laurels, he decided to take a big swing while recording the new record by pushing himself creatively and emotionally.

Warpaint has always been hard to pin down, with their music sometimes leaning post-punk and other times leaning heavily in the direction of dream pop. Part of that may be due to the band's structure, which they call a "democracy of dictators."

Based on the premise alone, it's amazing that comedian Jon Glaser's "Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter" ended up becoming a real TV show on Adult Swim. Once you know the story behind its genesis, the level of amazement gets ratcheted up a few notches!

Karl Blau talks about how it felt to get a pretty unique gift from producer and longtime friend Tucker Martine — and entire album of '70s country soul covers meant to showcase Blau's voice. The result, "Introducing Karl Blau," was one of the best albums of 2016.

Craig Finn feels like he's finally graduated from "dabbler" to "solo artist" on his third solo record, "We All Want the Same Things." The album is full of stories about people navigating life, love, and teamwork in the middle section of life.

Grandmaster Flash was more integral in the creation of hip hop as we know it today than any other individual. While many people know him as the man behind "The Message," his journey began over a decade earlier as a little kid from the Bronx who was obsessed with his dad's stereo.

Steve Burns just released a new album, "Foreverywhere," with longtime collaborator Steven Drozd. This time it's heavily influenced by his past — specifically his time as the host of Nickelodeon's "Blue's Clues." Yes, he's that Steve. We talk about the show, his relationship with Drozd, figuring out a path in life, and how being short helped him become "fame-ish," as he says.

Jim James of My Morning Jacket embraces uncertainty in his songwriting, but the act of writing songs seems to be an exercise in certitude. Sound confusing? Good. That's the best state of mind to be in when attempting to digest Jim's music — whether it's MMJ or his solo work.

Things have been a little slow around these parts, and there's a reason for that. I've been working feverishly on a new project with Kill Rock Stars. I'm excited about it and wanted to share it with you. Don't worry though, things are gonna pick up here again soon.

"Daily Show" co-creator Lizz Winstead discusses what originally inspired her to incorporate politics into her act. Downtown Boys frontwoman Victoria Ruiz talks about how her heritage and experiences in college influenced her approach to punk.

There's no guarantee 2017 will be any better than 2016. It might even be worse. That said, hope exists to spite evil, not despite evil. It's a giant middle finger to hate and fear. So as Beyonce would say...middle fingers up.

Lucius operates a little differently than most bands. Then again, most bands don't have dual vocalists wrapped in an ever-expanding assortment ostentatious matching outfits. Lucius' Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe discuss how they arrived at their unique aesthetic. Then, Jason Narducy of Split Single talks about why album number two took a dark turn.

Andrew Bird might be guilty of using "50 cent words" as he calls them — but he has his reasons. In this conversation, we talk about what those reasons are, as well as why he decided to eschew that approach on his last record, "Are You Serious." You'll also get some live cuts and a duets-only guest DJ set from him.

The Zombies came by the studio for an hour-long live set full of moving, stripped-down selections from their entire catalog — as well as plenty of anecdotes that you might not have heard before. Not gonna lie: I cried a couple of times during the recording.