Laura Burhenn released her debut recording as The Mynabirds in 2010 on the Saddle Creek imprint and quickly set out on a sometimes restless and always surprising path, performing as a live member of The Postal Service and Foster The People, lending her voice to issues from human rights to environmental causes. Through her production company, Our Secret Handshake, she’s produced music videos, commercials and concert films for artists ranging from Paramore’s Hayley Williams to Phoebe Bridgers, The Rolling Stones and Ringo Starr.
After pausing her writing and recording career following 2017’s Be Here Now (which is being reissued as Be Here Now (Now)), Burhenn considered herself done with writing and recording music. But during the pandemic, she experienced a series of losses that found her making her way back to writing and recording. In addition to reissuing Be Here Now, she’s also prepared It’s Okay To Go Back If You Keep Moving Forward, which features three new tunes and seven new renditions of favorites from past Mynabirds recordings. Both releases are out November 7 via the Our Secret Handshake imprint. Produced by Rilo Kiley’s Pierre de Reeder, the new effort was tracked live and without digital instrumentation.
Burhenn recently spoke about her hiatus from making music, the various issues that inspire her activism, and why technology has the ability to gravely limit the reaches of art.
Host/Producer: Jedd Beaudoin
Theme music: Torin Andersen