Podcast Summary: Takin' a Walk: Celebrating New Music with the Incredible Maggie Rose

Podcast: takin' a walk
Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: Maggie Rose
Release Date: October 10, 2025
Episode Focus: Exploring Maggie Rose's creative journey, her acclaimed 2024 album "No One Gets Out Alive," the new EP "Cocoon," insights into genre-blending, her experience as a new mother, musical community, and stories behind her evolution as an independent artist.

Episode Overview

This episode features Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Maggie Rose, delving into the inspirations and stories behind her latest projects, including the critically acclaimed album No One Gets Out Alive and her new EP Cocoon. Host Buzz Knight, along with co-host Les, walks with Maggie through her artistic evolution, motherhood, the Nashville music scene, and the collaborative spirit at the heart of her work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dream Walks: Influential Figures (04:12–06:28)

• Question: "If you could take a walk with somebody, living or dead, who would you take a walk with?"
• Maggie’s Picks:
  • Paul McCartney: For his unmatched stories from the Beatles era and perspectives on today's music scene.

    "Paul McCartney, because he's the greatest and I want to hear all the stories about those early days and the Caverns. But I also want his take on where music is today." (04:27)

  • Abraham Lincoln: For his wisdom on leadership and unity during divisive times.

    "He was one of our greatest presidents during such incredibly divisive time. And I would want to know what he would think about today and how he would navigate today." (04:40)

2. Genre-Bending & Artistic Freedom (06:28–07:40)

• On Defying Musical Boundaries:
  • Maggie describes her approach as not about "bending the rules," but instead not really "regarding rules," focusing on serving each song's needs and working collaboratively.

    "I think it's less about bending the rules and not really regarding rules, trying to kind of serve each song with the sonic arrangement that it needs." (07:03)

3. Americana Fest & The Power of Orchestration (07:40–09:56)

• Symphonic Collaboration:
  • Maggie recounts performing with a 70-piece symphony in Nashville, realizing ambitious orchestral arrangements from her latest album.

    "It was surreal... I just got totally swept up in the experience. And it felt like one of those moments where there aren't many, but where you get there and you're like, okay, this is kind of that touch point of all this work that I've been doing over the last couple of years." (07:54)

  • She speaks about consciously slowing down to enjoy the moment—a pivotal career milestone.

4. Creating “No One Gets Out Alive” (10:01–11:41)

• Motivation & Headspace:
  • Sparked by personal loss—bereavement and disintegrated friendships—Maggie was driven by a sense of urgency and gratitude.

    "I kind of had nothing to lose... I just felt like life is too short and it should be celebrated and we should create things that are beautiful." (10:17)

  • She highlights swinging for the fences with big arrangements and an all-star band.

5. Motherhood & The “Cocoon” EP (11:41–13:15)

• Transformation & Letting Go:
  • The metaphor of a cocoon reflects both protection and emergence, balancing the joys and sharper edges of motherhood and personal growth.

    "It was also about insulation, too, like protecting myself during this time of physical creation and also just musical creation." (12:01) "Emergence is worthwhile, but you shed some things on your way to that next phase as well." (12:35)

6. Collaboration with Grace Potter (13:15–14:36)

• Creative Kinship:
  • Maggie describes working with Grace Potter on “Poison in My Well,” praising her generosity and instant enthusiasm:

    "She's so supportive and... she's always lifting people up. I shared this music with her... really I was angling to get her to jump on this song with me, and she... said yes on the spot." (13:25)

7. Early Musical Memories & Inspiration (15:14–16:43)

• Impact of Community:
  • Maggie recalls performing for her parents' friends as a child and being struck by music's ability to gather and move people.

    "I think what impacted me was seeing this group of adults all of a sudden fall silent and pay attention and gather together just to, like, commune in music." (15:21)

  • She credits her family's diverse music tastes—The Judds, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and iconic female vocalists—for shaping her versatile approach.

8. Nashville’s Evolution & Artistic Identity (21:34–23:44)

• Growth and Refinding Herself:
  • Nashville has profoundly changed, as has Maggie’s place within it. Early in her career she followed the commercial country template, but later found her soul and creative expansion in breaking away.

    "When I moved here in 2008, I was releasing commercial country music... the template didn’t really work for me, and I think that forced me to explore my sound, and that's when the soul started to come out." (21:42)

  • She laments the loss of historic venues yet celebrates Nashville's broadening musical spectrum.

9. Honoring Unsung Collaborators (23:44–25:51)

• Shining a Light:
  • Maggie names many key contributors to her music, including Melissa Fuller (writer/artist), Davis Nash (producer/programmer), Ben Tanner (producer, Alabama Shakes), Natalie Hemby, Steph Jones, Anderson Clendenin (sound/mixing), and more.

    "He's someone who really gets in the trenches with me and helps me with the A and R process and selecting the songs. And I mean, the role of producer, he takes and he runs with it. He offers so much more." (24:38, on Ben Tanner)

10. Advice for Independent Artists (25:51–27:33)

• Resilience & Authenticity:
  • Maggie emphasizes being resolute, staying curious, nurturing live audiences, and not relying on external validation:

    "You have to be resolute in the fact that this is what you want to do and definitely don't let what's around you validate your efforts... playing live regularly and... nurturing those communities... is a really important way for me to sustain my audience." (26:05)

11. Songs from Cocoon & Stories of Hope (27:33–30:17)

• Relentless & Fly:
  • Maggie discusses “Relentless,” written soon after being dropped by her label, as an anthem of perseverance:

    "Relentless is a really great message for the EP as a whole because I wrote it just a few days after I found out that I was dropped by my previous record label..." (27:43)

  • The song “Fly” closes the EP with optimism—something Maggie says she felt ready to share thanks to her son and a newfound hopefulness.

    "Stories of Hope. The last song on the EP is a song called Fly ... Because of where I am right now with my son, and I'm excited about the future, I felt like, okay, this is time to share this message." (29:07)

12. The “All In” Mindset (30:17–31:37)

• Musical Vocation:
  • Maggie sees music as her calling, leaving no room for a plan B.

    "...there's not really a plan B. There's not something else I would rather be doing. So it makes it very simple in a way because you're just like, well, this is it and I'm getting to do what I love." (30:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Artistic Growth:

  "I like to explore my capabilities and continue examining myself as an artist. I think that just naturally brings me to these different soundscapes." (07:09, Maggie Rose)

• On Community in Music:

  "The community that it brings at such an early age was pretty impactful to me." (15:21, Maggie Rose)

• On Nashville’s Changing Landscape:

  "Nashville's music is—the spectrum is so much more broad than it was before...I do wish that there was some reverence for the old music venues." (21:42, Maggie Rose)

• On Hope and Storytelling:

  "Stories of Hope. The last song on the EP is a song called Fly...I felt like, okay, this is time to share this message." (29:07, Maggie Rose)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|---------------| | Dream walk question & answers | 04:12–06:28 | | On genre-bending and creative freedom | 06:28–07:40 | | Americana Fest, symphonic performance | 07:40–09:56 | | Making of "No One Gets Out Alive" | 10:01–11:41 | | Motherhood and “Cocoon” | 11:41–13:15 | | Grace Potter collaboration | 13:15–14:36 | | Early musical impact and influences | 15:14–16:43 | | Nashville’s evolution | 21:34–23:44 | | Honoring collaborators | 23:44–25:51 | | Independence advice for artists | 25:51–27:33 | | Songs to play live from Cocoon | 27:33–28:52 | | Stories Maggie wants to tell now | 28:52–30:17 | | “All In” musical mindset | 30:17–31:37 | | Podcast plug: "Salute to Songbird" | 31:52–32:39 |

Maggie Rose’s Podcast Plug

• Podcast: “Salute to Songbird”

• Theme: Interviews with trailblazing women in the music industry, including special episodes on motherhood and work-life balance for artists.

  "It's called Salute to Songbird and I get to interview all my favorite women in the industry... now I'm doing [it] in front of a live audience, which is really fun... I'm talking to other performers and they just really give me great interviews with that energy in the room." (31:53)

Tone and Takeaways

The conversation is warm, insightful, and deeply personal. Maggie Rose articulates her artistic journey with vulnerability—speaking frankly about loss, hope, motherhood, and her drive to connect through music. The hosts praise her versatility and community spirit, celebrating her as an “all in, thousand percent” artist who inspires both audiences and collaborators.

This episode is an essential listen for fans of genre-crossing music, Nashville’s musical legacy, and anyone interested in the modern realities of being an independent, creative artist.