In episode two of Known Associates, a podcast brought to you by New Pony in affiliation with Southwest Review, the Paranoid Style singer-songwriter and cultural critic Elizabeth Nelson talks to Patterson Hood from Drive-By Truckers. For over forty years, this indefatigable performer and overall force of good has been releasing records both with his band and as a solo artist and delivering sterling live shows to packed crowds night after night. Over the course of their conversation, Elizabeth and Patterson talk about his early influences and the watershed moment that convinced him he could make his living as a songwriter (2:28). They also discuss the Drive-By Truckers’ origin story and how DBT’s bold decision to release the ambitious, audacious double album Southern Rock Opera took the band to the next level (8:52). Then, they revisit the story of his growing up in Muscle Shoals, Alabama; what it was like being the son of the beloved session ace, David Hood; and what impact that legacy had on his own career choices (15:54), and dive into the nuances of Hood’s friendship and songwriting partnership with the great Mike Cooley, whom he has collaborated with for four decades (27:05). Patterson then tells Elizabeth what it was like working with artists like Booker T., Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (32:50). Later, they explore DBT’s decision to be an explicitly political band that fights for the causes they believe in (39:21). Finally, they get into Patterson’s new solo record, Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams (48:20); his fall 2025 tour with Known Associate Craig Finn from the Hold Steady (55:40); and, of course, what the future holds (60:40). Subscribe to Known Associates here and check out Southwest Review’s website here. Pick up a subscription to the magazine while you’re at it!   Host: Elizabeth NelsonProducers: Greg Brownderville, Robert Rea, Hannah SmithMixed by: Clay Jones
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Episode 1: Craig Finn
In our first episode of Known Associates, a new podcast brought to you by New Pony in affiliation with Southwest Review, the Paranoid Style singer-songwriter and journalist Elizabeth Nelson talks to Craig Finn from the Hold Steady. A songwriting institution and accomplished prose writer, Craig has been delighting audiences with his rowdy domestic picaresques and deeply flawed but highly lovable character studies for decades. In this episode, Elizabeth and Craig talk about his upbringing in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, where he started his first band, Lifter Puller, as well as the romance of regional scenes and how Minneapolis helped inform his sound (6:09). They also discuss Craig’s enduring fandom of the Minnesota Twins and talk about the time that he went fishing with legendary Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek (13:05). Then, they get into the twentieth anniversary of the Hold Steady’s masterpiece Separation Sunday (17:49) and Craig’s new solo record Always Been, its accompanying book Lousy With Ghosts, and what working with Adam Granduciel and the War on Drugs was like (22:14). Later, they discuss his upcoming shows with Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers and how their friendship developed (39:20) and how Craig deals with being called a literary songwriter and the labels that get applied to his band in general (45:49). Finally, they break down Craig’s recent tour with the Mountain Goats, the tedium of touring, the enduring mysteries of buses and frontage roads (52:09), and of course, they discuss Bob Dylan (57:13) and what the future holds (61:50). Don’t forget to follow Known Associates and check out Southwest Review’s website here. Pick up a subscription to the magazine while you’re at it!  Host: Elizabeth NelsonProducers: Greg Brownderville, Robert Rea, Hannah SmithMixed by: Clay Jones
Elizabeth Nelson, singer-songwriter for the D.C.-based pub rock band the Paranoid Style and journalist for places like the New York Times Magazine, the Ringer, Pitchfork, the Washington Post, and Southwest Review sits down once a month with some of the most exciting musicians, writers, and artists for freewheeling conversations that include everything from touring stories to backstage gossip and beyond. Produced by New Pony in affiliation with Southwest Review.
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