Peek Behind the Curtain: Songwriting and the Creative Process with Brother Bird

(Photo Credit: Chris Bauer)

Brother Bird is the name of Nashville singer/songwriter Caroline Glaser. We had the opportunity to chat with her about her upcoming release The Lodge In Miller County. Her record dropped on September 25, on Easy Does It Records. Check out what Glaser shared with us!

One of the things I think that is impactful about your songwriting is just how raw it is when it comes to showing complex human emotions such as loss, embarrassment, and grief. Can you share how you are able to tap into some of these more trying emotions and experiences, while still producing a record that is melodic, accessible, and seamless?

"I have to take myself out of the songs when I'm writing them. That's what is so liberating about this record is that I approached it as a concept record. I based it off the poem “The Guest House” by Rumi. It kind of takes the good, the bad, and the ugly and brings them into your house. Not to fully trauma dump, but it was just a hard few years and putting all of that into this album and these characters allowed me to tap into something deeper and I didn't need to claim it. Some of it was deeply personal. Sonically, once I get into the studio I just try achieve the coolest sound that works for the song.”

You have a mentor/mentee relationship with Andy Hull and Robert McDowell of Manchester Orchestra. They’ve worked with you on some of the production aspects of your records and you recently toured as support for the band and have supported Andy’s solo Spring/Summer 2026 tour as well. How has your relationship with Andy and Robert shaped your experiences not only in the music industry, but also from a record creation standpoint?

”They play such an integral role to all things Brother Bird. They are also just family at this point. I really look at them both like older brothers. I started as such a fan and it's cool and they're both main collaborators for the project now. In terms of the industry, it's shaped me in so many ways, I use them as sounding board and go to them for advice or just ears to listen. It's nice to have that community where you're bouncing ideas off of. They produced my first record and then I did it without them on my second, and that was a bit intimidating. I was a co-producer of that one. We started in Nashville with Owen Lewis and got the bones down. This album just took so much time, songs are weird and magical in that way. I had just released Another Year and got into the studio and worked with Owen and Jamie Martens, he's another brother. I drove up to Atlanta every weekend and got surgical and gutted everything and reincorpated some of the elements we recorded. It was cool because Jamie and I both have learned so much from the guys from Manchester Orchestra because Jamie served as a drum tech for the band at one time. We didn't have a mentor in the room. With me and Jamie this feels like the start of a special collaboration. And then we finished with Andy. This record was a little frustrating because it took so much time, but the silver lining was forging that relationship with Jamie. I've never looked at Brother Bird as a solo project if you will, the songwriting is mine, but it's always been a collaborative experience.”

I’m really interested in how you are able to achieve the sound you do musically. There is something clear, warm (almost like a tube amp as opposed to a solid state), and pure to your vocals that you often pair with some pretty dynamic instrumentation. I think some of the driving melodies and powerful guitar work would just drown out someone with a weaker vocal style and lesser vocal register. How do you approach pairing your vocals with such powerful melodies that can be raw at moments?

"I am really precious with vocals. That was a leading force with taking a break on the album. I didn't want them to come off as too high or harsh. That was really imporant to me with some of the heavier songs. I don't know all of what Jamie was doing on the back end, but he really worked on that vision. He spent a lot of time and care. Vocals are just the most vunerable part for me when it comes to songwriting.”

There are some tracks on here that are more alt driven with forceful guitars in parts whereas songs like “Pariah” have a catchy beat that is more indie or pop in nature. What’s great about this record is neither ever feel “wrong” or “out of place”. How do you go about intentionally building a record, as opposed to what we see a lot these days where a record is just a collection of singles, with no larger or overarching theme or story to share?

"I care a lot about sequencing. As far as the collective, with this collection of songs, the tether of theme was the theme so as long as we brought them back thematically. It felt cohesive even though they may vary stylistically. I have these little moments woven throughout with audio from home videos and I feel that sort of tied the characters together in a nice way. And then all the melodies sort of creep back in with "Pessimist". It was more thematically woven together than sonically, but they feel cohesive."

What’s are you most looking forward to about not only sharing the entirety of the record with your fans and newcomers as a record, but also in the live space/setting?

"I cannot wait to play with a band. I actually did four midwest dates with Jamie which was fun because we never played live together. We were on the west coast with Andy and Rob and had 24 hours to come back and get together for those shows. While we were on the West Coast we rehearsed in Rob’s basement. Jamie played drums and we did some loops and I played the acoustic as well through my amp and pedals. We're trying to add a guitar player for this run in October."