What happens when a musician completely rejects the corporate machine?

In this episode of Americana Curious, Ben Fanning and Zach Schultz sit down with singer-songwriter Mason Jennings to discuss his incredible 30-year independent career.

Mason opens up about why he walked away from major label record deals, what it was really like working with (and turning down) Rick Rubin, his fun connection to Prince, and his internal battle with crippling agoraphobia and panic attacks on tour.

Whether you are an independent musician navigating the modern landscape of Soundcloud and AI or a fan of real, raw, road-worn music, this conversation explores what it truly means to protect your creative spirit at all costs.

💡 STUFF WE TALKED ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:

• Turning down a million-dollar major label deal

• The truth about working with Rick Rubin (and the pitch-black Warner Bros meeting)

• How EMDR therapy helped Mason overcome agoraphobia

• The night Prince played air guitar to his songs at First Avenue

• How AI, Soundcloud, and streaming are shifting the value of music

• The stories behind "Rebecca Deville" and his new album Dark Wings

Chapters:

00:00 – Why Mason Jennings turned down Rick Rubin

02:15 – The wild night Rick Rubin turned off the lights at Warner Bros

04:30 – Surviving crippling agoraphobia and panic attacks on tour

07:10 – The secret story behind "Rebecca Deville"

09:45 – When Prince watched Mason from the box seats

11:50 – How AI and Soundcloud are shifting the future of the music industry

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As a gift to listeners, Zach has curated 7 MUST LISTEN Mason Jennings songs here.

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Ben Fanning and Zach Schultz host Americana Curious, a podcast spotlighting the unsung heroes of Americana music. This show features deep-dive music interviews with legendary independent artists, uncovering the hard-earned lessons, songwriting secrets, and real-world struggles behind your favorite acoustic, folk, and rock-infused songs

👉 SUPPORT THE SHOW: Follow the show and rate us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and leave a review on Apple to help more people discover the power of Americana #AmericanaMusic

#MasonJennings #RickRubin #Songwriting #IndependentArtist #MusicPodcast #AmericanaCurious #Prince

What can leaders learn from Bruce Springsteen?

A lot more than you might think.

In this special crossover episode from the Lead the Team podcast, Ben sits down with Andy Freed—CEO, author, and a devoted Springsteen fan who has attended nearly 100 Bruce Springsteen concerts.

Over the years, Andy noticed something remarkable: many of the leadership lessons taught in boardrooms are being demonstrated night after night on stage by Bruce and the E Street Band.

From how he acknowledges his band members to how he commands attention for three hours, Springsteen has built one of the most enduring cultures in music.

In this conversation, you'll hear:

1. Why Bruce makes every band member feel like the most important person in the room
2. The leadership lesson hidden in his end-of-show ritual
3. How great communicators think about their audience first
4. Why repetition is essential for leading change
5. What leaders can learn from Bruce's setlists, storytelling, and stage presence
6. How collective experiences create stronger teams and communities
7. Why intentionality may be the most underrated leadership skill

Whether you're a lifelong Springsteen fan, a music lover, or someone trying to lead people more effectively, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on what it means to inspire others.

Some artists sound polished. Some artists sound real. The rare ones give you both.

I caught up with backstage at the Charleston Pour House right before she took the stage — you can hear the traffic outside, the crowd starting to buzz, and the energy building before the show.

At just 25 years old, Bella is writing songs with an emotional honesty and depth that feels timeless.

We talked about emotional restlessness, life between places, quietly commanding a room, and how heartbreak and searching have shaped her songwriting.

She also opened up about evolving beyond her bluegrass roots while staying true to the music that raised her.

Bella’s upcoming album A Sign in the Weather is going to connect with a lot of people.

This conversation made it obvious why her shows are selling out across the country right now.

Winyah had 3 songs.

Then they got the call to play Bonnaroo.

No album.

Just a deadline.

So they did what most people won’t:

They locked in.

Slept on couches.

Finished an entire record in weeks.

Fast forward—

They’re opening High Water Festival in Charleston…

stepping on stage in front of 15,000..

And here’s what surprised me most:

They’re playing the long game.

→ Eating clean on tour

→ Running between shows

→ Thinking about how they’ll still perform at 50

Because they’ve seen how this story ends for bands that don’t.

And then this moment hit:

One of them even walked away from big corporate finance job...

to do this.

“This is a lot more fun.”

That’s the tradeoff.

Security vs. story.

Comfort vs. calling.

So—

If the call came for you…

would you be ready?

What does Taj Mahal understand about music… that most artists still miss today?

How did his approach to sound end up influencing Bob Marley?

What does it actually mean to feel music instead of just hearing it?

And what have we lost… now that music has become something we just consume?

In this episode, Taj Mahal—five-time Grammy winner and one of the architects of modern Americana—shares a radically different way of thinking about music, connection, and culture.

From growing up surrounded by gospel, jazz, and radio… to shaping a sound that would ripple across generations…

This is a conversation about music.

AND why that matters more than ever.

Ben and Zach have been talking about this interview ever since!

Taj doesn’t just talk about music...he lives it.

And somewhere along the way, it made us rethink how we listen… not just to songs, but to everything around us.

We hope it does the same for you.

If it does—share it with someone who needs to hear it!

What happens when your dream falls apart… right in the middle of a pizza shift?

John-Robert was closing at work when he got the call…

he’d been dropped by his label.

Most artists don’t come back from that. He moved home to Virginia…

built a studio.

and started making music nonstop.

No label.

No plan B.

No guarantees.

Today, his music has millions of streams around the world.

But the real story isn’t just the success… it’s the life behind it.

And this one was just a BLAST!

John-Robert is hilarious, self-aware, and completely himself.

We laughed a lot.

We went off of fun tangents

And you can feel how much he genuinely loves music, people, and the ride he’s on.

That’s what makes this episode different.

In this episode of Americana Curious, John-Robert, Ben and Zach get into:

The moment everything fell apart

Why living life fully matters more than writing songs

The scrappy rebuild that changed everything

Opening for Liam Gallagher (OASIS) and playing a free show in the park right after

What it actually takes to make it as an independent artist

And a moment that just feel real, funny, and raw.

If you’ve ever chased something… lost it… and had to rebuild from scratch — this one’s for you.

🎧 Follow Americana Curious for more real stories from artists living the music.

MORGXN, the Americana artist who just redefined what the Heartland means, joins Ben and Zach on Americana Curious for a conversation that you'll never forget.

Early in his career, he was told he’d never make it in Nashville as an openly gay artist. So he left.

But something pulled him back. Instead of abandoning the music… he decided to reclaim something bigger.

The Heartland.

Not as a place owned by a genre or a stereotype but as a place that BELONGS TO EVERYONE.

Along the way, he’s collaborated with Sara Bareilles and Walk the Moon, and even had a moment where Billie Eilish credited one of his songs as inspiration.

But the most powerful moment in our conversation was this: “The heartland is everybody — white, black, gay, straight… the heartland is everybody.”

And then he did something even more unexpected…

He bought a farm outside Nashville. discovered 760 pawpaw trees on land the previous owner said was “dead”, and started building a life rooted in music, food, and community.

It turns out the Heartland isn’t just a place. It’s a story we’re ALL STILL WRITING TOGETHER!

Ever been told you didn’t belong somewhere… and later realized you were meant to redefine it?

Some songs don’t just play; They mark seasons of your life.

And you don’t realize it until years later.

These are the Americana songs that shaped who we (Ben and Zach) have become.

As you'll hear it's not because they were chart-toppers or because everyone else loved them...

...it's because they found us at a very specific moment.

A long drive after a hard loss.

A tiny club when you felt invisible.

A lyric that said what you couldn’t say out loud.

That’s the part we don’t talk about enough!

We analyze strategy. We debate business models. We optimize everything.

But songs?

They bypass ALL logic.

They attach themselves to your identity. When you look back, you realize certain bands didn’t just soundtrack your life, they helped AUTHOR IT.

We can trace chapters of our own growth to specific records.

Certain risks we took. Certain conversations we had. Certain seasons we survived.

It’s wild how an honest lyric can do what no book ever could.

The real question becomes isn’t whether music changes us.

It’s this...

Are we CHOOSING the songs and bands that shape us…

Or are we passively letting whatever’s loudest do the shaping?

What if the music you surround yourself with is determining the leader, parent, and partner you become?