IN Arts + Writing, Interview, Music Industry, Season 4

Ep 51: Rick Maguire of Pile on appreciating the journey

Rick Maguire has been releasing music – both solo and with a band – under the name Pile for over 10 years. Pile has toured hard since day one, gaining a cult following for their thoughtful lyrics and a sound that’s ever-evolving but uniquely theirs.

In this episode, Rick shares what makes their upcoming album, Green and Gray (out 5/3/19), different, his experience quitting and drinking and how it’s impacted his work, working on music full-time, being grateful for the journey and weird experiences along the way, the value of growing slowly, lessons in leading a band, and more.

Listen above or on iTunes or Spotify.

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about:

  • Nashville’s music scene and what it was like moving from Boston
  • forever learning how to navigate the music industry as he goes
  • being confident in his decisions and how he’s chosen to create things 
  • looking retrospectively at his touring and musical history as Pile 
  • learning to not have expectations as a band playing in a new place 
  • being happy with his slower path to where he’s gotten and the wild experiences along the way 
  • his experience quitting drinking and smoking 
  • Pile’s new double LP Green and Gray out May 3rd and how it’s different from their past albums 
  • why he feels better about this record now that it’s done compared to previous albums 
  • what drives him to be constantly writing 
  • being committed to music as his sole career and the difference that’s made in creating work
  • stepping up to the plate as band leader with two new members
  • the role nervousness plays in his lyrics 
  • what drives him to make music despite the personal sacrifices he’s made
  • finding bandmates who want to live his art with him 
  • his respect for Randy Newman’s lyrics and subject matter

Resources mentioned in this episode:

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