Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses)

Ben Bridwell has led Band of Horses for over two decades. He describes the band's sound as "y'all-ternative," a genre that tips its hat to Southern rock's deep myriad of musical influences.

Next month, Band of Horses is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album, Everything All the Time, with an expanded reissue featuring previously unreleased demos and live recordings. The album, recorded in 2005 with producer Phil Ek, who's known for producing albums by Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, and The Shins.

When Band of Horses started working with Phil, Ben had only been writing songs for a couple of years. He was also new to Seattle, where he'd relocated from Tucson, a city he moved to at 16 after dropping out of high school in his native Irmo, South Carolina.

On today's episode, Leah Rose talks to Ben Bridwell about recording Everything All the Time. He opens up about hitting rock bottom in South Carolina before moving to Seattle. He also talks about recently breaking the generational curse of alcoholism in his family, getting his life together post-divorce, and he explains why the upcoming Band of Horses album may sound aggressive despite the fact that he's in such a happy place.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from Ben Bridwell & Band of Horses HERE.

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