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The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

PEL Presents NEM#251: Dr. Alan Williams (Birdsong at Morning)

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Mark Linsenmayer

Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.62.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2026

⏱️ 96 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Alan released two albums with folk-rock band Knots and Crosses in the early 90s, put out one solo album, then became a recording engineer and earned a PhD in ethnomusicology. He released three albums between 2010-2019 fronting Birdsong at Morning and put out two more solo albums.

We discuss "Just Like Water" (and listen at the end to "Somewhere There's a Train") from Floating on the Dreamline (2026), "The Great Escape" by Birdsong at Morning from A Slight Departure (2015), and the title track to Curve of the Earth (1993) by Knots and Crosses. Intro: "Neon Dreaming," originally from Evidence (1994). More at alanwilliamsevidence.com.

Sponsor: Get three months free of online payroll and benefits software for small businesses at gusto.com/nem.

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at nakedlyexaminedmusic.com. Support us at patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This episode is sponsored by Gusto, online payroll and benefit software built for small businesses.

0:19.0

You're listening to Nakedly Exambed Music, a podcast about songs and songwriters.

0:23.5

My name is Mark Lintonmeyer.

0:25.1

My guest for episode 251 is Alan Williams.

0:28.9

He studied at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music and then released two albums with folk rock band at Knots and Crosses in the early 90s.

0:36.5

He put out his first solo album in 1994,

0:38.9

who are right now hearing neon dreaming from that first album, Evidence, though this is a remix

0:44.2

with a new lead vocal that he released in 2020. He then became a freelance music engineer

0:49.6

and got his PhD in Ethnomucology, so he now teaches at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

0:55.3

During his time there, he released three albums in the teens as Bird Song at Morning,

1:00.6

and has subsequently released two more solo albums. We discussed just like water from the latest

1:05.2

of these floating on the dream line, and look back to The Great Escape by Birdsong at Morning

1:10.0

from a slight departure

1:11.5

2015 and the title track to Curve of the Earth by Knots and Crosses from 1993.

1:17.9

For more information, go to Alan Williams Evidence.com.

1:22.3

For more about this podcast, see Nakedly ExaminedMusic.com, and you're going to want to

1:27.1

subscribe directly to that feed

1:29.0

if you are listening through the Parsley Examine Life feed, or better yet, get your episodes

1:33.5

ad-free, along with my detailed episode notes if you support the show for even the smallest

1:38.6

amount at patreon.com slash nakedly examined music.

1:46.0

So I will play it a little of NeonDreamin'clock Nakedly Examined Music. So I will play it a little of neon dreaming from Evidence, your first solo album, originally

1:51.3

1994, remixed, re-recorded partially for this Evidence on Earth version, 2020.

...

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