Slow Parade founder Matthew Pendrick joins us to talk about songwriting, touring, and what he calls 20th-century American vernacular music. You hear how a rotating cast of Atlanta musicians shapes each Slow Parade show, why inspiration can strike anywhere from a recycling center to a minivan, and how staying open keeps the songs alive.

Matthew Pendrick, the songwriter behind Slow Parade, describes a project that is less a fixed band and more a living framework for collaboration. Writing all the songs himself, Pendrick builds each performance by choosing musicians based on the room, the audience, and the mood, resulting in shows that can shift from acoustic intimacy to pedal-steel-driven country textures.

Growing up in Decatur, Georgia, Pendrick’s musical education started early in school band and expanded when he discovered guitar as a teenager. A formative mentorship with a local street musician, known as Guitar Red, introduced him to the gigging life at a young age and shaped both his love of American music traditions and his understanding of what life on the road can teach.

Pendrick also reflects on how songs can emerge from unlikely places, from recycling runs to long pandemic days staring at a well-worn Toyota Sienna. Whether playing yoga classes, funerals, or touring with other artists, he sees music as both a job and a way to stay open to inspiration, trusting that good songs can adapt to many forms and still find their audience.