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266: Lau Noah

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

Release Date: 01/11/2024

294: Suzanne Vega show art 294: Suzanne Vega

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

Legendary singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega looks back at her remarkable career — and forward to her new album, Flying with Angels, her first collection of original songs in nearly a decade. From the moment she emerged in the 1980s with her self-titled debut and follow-up Solitude Standing, Vega has occupied a singular space in popular music. Known for her literate lyrics, calm delivery, and understated innovation, she became an unlikely pop star with songs like “Luka” — a devastating portrait of abuse — and “Tom’s Diner,” which began as an a cappella sketch and became a surprise...

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293: Arturo O'Farrill show art 293: Arturo O'Farrill

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

When Arturo O’Farrill was 19 years old, playing piano in a bar in upstate New York, he was spotted by Carla Bley—who promptly invited him to join her band. At the time, he was doing everything he could to distance himself from the legacy of his father, the legendary Cuban composer Chico O’Farrill. He avoided anything labeled “Latin” like his life depended on it. But as he tells it, the real turning point came when bassist Andy Gonzalez sat him down and played him the history of Afro Latin music. Arturo realized that the music he’d rejected might actually be his greatest...

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292: Max Pollak show art 292: Max Pollak

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

When he was five years old, Max Pollak had a moment. Sitting in front of a black-and-white television in suburban Vienna, he saw Fred Astaire tap dancing for the first time. “I was so spellbound by his elegance and his effortless swinging persona that I immediately decided I have to learn how to do that,” he remembers. He didn’t understand the cultural context or the language, but he knew that whatever was happening on that screen — the rhythm, the movement, the magic — was something he had to pursue. That moment sparked a lifelong journey that would take him from Austria to Harlem...

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291: Raul Midón show art 291: Raul Midón

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

Self-proclaimed “badass and blind” singer, songwriter, guitarist Raul Midón in an expansive and deeply personal conversation about music, identity, independence, and the art of seeing clearly without sight. From his childhood fascination with radio and jazz in a small New Mexico town to his breakout moment in New York with legendary producer Arif Mardin, Midón shares the story of how he forged his unique artistic path. Blind since infancy, Midón has navigated life and a career with extraordinary intention and vision. He discusses the development of his signature sound — a percussive,...

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290: Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields) show art 290: Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields)

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

Songwriter Stephin Merritt on impermanence, organizing principles, and the art of constraints: Raised by a spiritually seeking mother, Merritt moved 33 times by age 22 and describes himself as a “hippie brat” who “never liked children—even as a child.” This sense of solitude shaped his singular voice as the creative force behind The Magnetic Fields, who are touring this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their landmark triple album 69 Love Songs.  In recent years, his productivity has slowed due to long COVID, a development he accepts with dark humor: “The gods have...

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289: Nels Cline show art 289: Nels Cline

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

For decades, Nels Cline carved out a career on the fringes of rock, jazz, and experimental music, balancing day jobs with an uncompromising artistic vision. Then, at nearly 50 years old, everything changed—he joined Wilco, bringing his avant-garde sensibilities into a beloved band and reaching a global audience. But Cline’s story isn’t one of sudden success; it’s about persistence, reinvention, and creative restlessness. In this episode, he reflects on his journey—from growing up in Los Angeles with his twin brother, drummer Alex Cline, to navigating the punk and avant-garde jazz...

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287: Steven Greenberg (Lipps, Inc.) show art 287: Steven Greenberg (Lipps, Inc.)

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

Steven Greenberg, the creative force behind the hit "Funkytown," on crafting one of the most enduring dance tracks of all time, bridging the transition from disco to synth-driven pop, and the discipline required to bring musical ideas to life in an era before digital shortcuts. Intro  Magic Mind Interview Get 45% off the Magic Mind bundle with with my link: https://www.magicmind.com/LEOJAN #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance

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286: Makaya McCraven show art 286: Makaya McCraven

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

Drummer, producer, and composer Makaya McCraven, whose work bridges improvisation, production, and cultural synthesis, on rhythm, time, and the balance of tradition and innovation, plus his creative journey, from his roots in Northampton, Massachusetts, to his innovative projects like In The Moment and In These Times. This hybrid episode spanning interviews from 2022 and 2025 offers a deep dive into the mind of a true beat scientist. Get 45% off the Magic Mind bundle with with my link: https://www.magicmind.com/LEOJAN #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance

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Mary Sweeney (from 2018) show art Mary Sweeney (from 2018)

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

Throwback from 2018. Mary Sweeney needs some air. “There has to be a flow of fast and slow, and a pause to allow the listener or the spectator to digest and to project their own thoughts.” She thinks I should leave more space in my podcasts, to let it breathe. She tells me this as we sit in the screened in porch behind her summer house in Madison, Wisconsin. As she tells me this, cicadas chirp loudly, as if to underscore her point: “Today’s episode will not be edited! You will not remove us from this moment!”  Mary Sweeney should know. She spent much of her career as a film...

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285: Jacob Collier's First Interview show art 285: Jacob Collier's First Interview

The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran

In 2013, after having posted a series of videos recorded in his family home in North London of himself singing a cappella arrangements of classic - yet sometimes obscure - songs on YouTube, a critical mass began to form around Jacob Collier.  His videos of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Don’t You Worry Bout A Thing” were passed around by musicians and music enthusiasts and by 2014 he was being managed by Quincy Jones and traveling around the world. He was one of the first career artists to emerge on YouTube. Jacob’s journey since then has been nothing short of...

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Singer-songwriter Lau Noah grew up in the small Catalan city of Reus. She left Spain for America a decade ago, at age 19 and never really looked back. She makes celestial, dreamy music evocative of another era, yet influenced by her own very modern story. 

Lau Noah is both a realist and a magical realist. She is an uncompromising and determined indie artist. She books her own shows, produces her own recordings, and advocates on her own behalf. She has a practical understanding of how to make compelling content, and how to communicate with her fans and her fellow artists. But she also appears to be searching the stars, deciphering her dreams, and following the river in her mind to the next location.

Listening to Lau’s music is like watching a river flow. It’s all right in front of you, passing with natural fluidity. But you can never quite locate it, and you can never fully predict how it will move. The best way to experience it is to simply accept that it is flowing and let it wash over you. 

The river, in fact, is a familiar image in her songs. Lau seems to relate to the river, steady in its unyielding forward motion, unapologetic in its intransigent transience. 

As a composer, her writing evokes a baroque classicism, her compositions are colored with counterpoint, and often sound like a conversation between Spanish guitar and voice. Sophisticated as she is, Lau is self taught, and actually lists Hannah Montana and Avril Lavigne as two of her primary influences.  

Her new album A Dos ("for two") is a collection of duets with some of her most admired artist friends, and some of the friends who most admired her. These include Chris Thile, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Jorge Drexler, and Jacob Collier among others. Much of Lau’s access to these people came from posting videos online and letting the internet work its magic. 

We spoke recently about her artful life, the journey that led her out of Spain and onto the world stage, how struggling with agoraphobia as a teenager helped her to become an artist, why adversity creates community, her adventures in babysitting, being comfortable as the odd one in any situation, and making A Dos.