If you're a creative type who loves music, songwriting, literature, history, philosophy, and ideas big and small, you've come to the right place!

Erik Ritland is a songwriter, editor, and journalist. He's released over 12 albums and EPs. Currently, he is editor and writer for popular culture website Music in Minnesota and a journalist for new music app Hear.By. He also founded music, sports, and culture website Rambling On in 2012.

On each ERisB podcast, Erik answers some questions from the mail bag, talks about his songwriting process and features one of his songs, and gives a short final thought about any ol' topic.

On this episode:

- What is Erik Ritland isn't so Bad?
- Mailbag question #1: Rock n' roll hall of fame: why?
- Mailbag question #2: There's something about the morning
- Mailbag question #3: Genius authors you need to know
- Mailbag question #4: Sports, sports, sports, is your whole life just sports?
- Commentary on "Long Gone Days" from the 2019 album For An Empty Theater. Possibly his most accessible song, hear Erik discuss how he wrote it, what went into its recording, and the importance of nostalgia.
- "Long Gone Days" in its entirety
- Final thought: The hidden secret of creativity

Thanks for listening!

Erik Ritland isn't so Bad is sponsored by the Midwest Metropolitan Music Association (MMMA), your #1 source for creative Midwestern music and beyond. It's impossible to sift through all the chaff on websites like ReverbNation, SoundCloud, and BandCamp to find the best music around. So luckily for you, Midwest Metropolitan Music Association has done the heavy lifting, serving you the best independent rock, Americana, country, folk, blues, and more.

Resources: - Erik Ritland's songwriting - More on G.K. Chesterton - More on Ernest Hemingway - More on Willa Cather - More on Jorge Louis Borges - More on William Faulkner - Rambling On, Erik's sports writing and more (NFL, NBA, MLB, Minnesota Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild)

The Secret of Creativity (plus "Long Gone Days"!)