Matt Berninger with Eric Bachmann

Matt Berninger with Eric Bachmann

From Talkhouse Podcast by Talkhouse

February 26, 2026 · 54 min

About this episode

This episode features a conversation between songwriters Matt Berninger and Eric Bachmann, discussing their music and influences.

This week’s Talkhouse episode is particularly exciting for me, since my two guests are also two of my favorite songwriters and singers ever—and they happen to be big fans of each other. It’s Matt Berninger and Eric Bachmann. Eric Bachmann was a massive part of the ‘90s indie-rock explosion as the snarling voice behind Archers of Loaf, a band that released four incredible albums in its relatively short run. But Bachmann ditched most of that genre’s signifiers afterward and has spent the last quarter-century writing and recording incredible songs both under the name Crooked Fingers and under his own. His records are more in line with Tom Waits or Townes van Zandt than Pavement, and his deep catalog is worth a deep dive. You could start pretty much anywhere, so it might as well be with the brand new Crooked Fingers album Swet Deth. It’s the first time Bachmann has dusted off the Crooked Fingers name in more than a decade, I’m assuming because it sounds like a more fleshed-out affair. He also invited some friends to provide backing vocals on a few tracks, including Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan, Sharon Van Etten, and today’s other guest, Matt Berninger of the National. Check out the…

People in this episode

Host: Talkhouse

Guests: Matt Berninger, Eric Bachmann

Topics covered

  • music
  • songwriting
  • indie rock
  • interviews
  • album release

Keywords

  • Matt Berninger
  • Eric Bachmann
  • Crooked Fingers
  • Archers of Loaf
  • indie rock
  • album release
  • songwriting

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Archers of Loaf, Crooked Fingers, The National

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