Fresh off the release of their genre-blurring live album Collabs: Live at Garcia’s at The Cap, indie-funk duo Twilight Muse sat down with Grateful Web to reflect on the spontaneous jam sessions that sparked the record, their unforgettable collaborations with legends like George Porter Jr., Robert Randolph, and G. Love, and the electric energy of late-night sets at Garcia’s.
In this Q&A, Meg Pollaro and Andrew Shapiro break down the making of standout tracks like their funk-driven original “The Mayor” and a fiery rework of Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City,” sharing how community, improvisation, and groove are shaping the next chapter of their sound.
Twilight Muse will return to Garcia’s for another special late-night set on May 8th, following Little Feat at The Capitol Theatre. Click here for more information and tickets.
Grateful Web: We love a good collaboration—especially when it’s born from spontaneity. Can you tell us how some of these late-night jam sessions at Garcia’s organically turned into a full-blown live album?
Andrew: It was unplanned! We did our first After-Party gig when Blues Traveler played and John Popper blew us away with his blues harp (and vocals) on an 8-minute jam of “Miss You” into “I Will Survive.” He seemed to enjoy it as much as we did, so we asked other artists who played the Cap if they would sit in with us after at Garcia’s – all unrehearsed. Everyone said yes, because they loved the intimacy of an improvised jam late in a bar. Before we knew it, we had enough material for a live album.
GW: “Living for the City” is such an iconic track—what inspired you to reinterpret it with Robert Randolph and G. Love, and what was that moment like on stage when G. jumped in unplanned?
Andrew: We’re huge Stevie fans and knew that Robert was also, so we aligned on playing that tune. We had a hunch Robert’s pedal steel sound would be perfect, but had not rehearsed. We also didn’t know that Robert would ask G. Love to join us -- literally in the middle of the tune (like Robert, he had played during the Allman Brothers tribute on the mainstage). When the two of them traded dueling solos on pedal steep and harmonica, it was funk nirvana!
GW: You’ve got legends like George Porter Jr., John Popper, and members of The Soul Rebels on this record. What did you learn from playing alongside such heavyweights, both musically and personally?
Meg: In those moments you have to just be really present and trust that whatever happens is right. It’s such a wild departure for me, as the rest of my life is very regimented - especially at work where you have to be dialed in and 10 steps ahead. It’s a very welcomed change of pace to be free and let it all unfold.
GW: Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre clearly holds a special place in Twilight Muse’s story. What does that venue mean to you as an artist, and what makes it such fertile ground for collaboration?
Andrew: From The Cap’s history with the Dead in the 1970s, Phish in the 1990s, and every jam band since, the venue has always been hallowed ground for musical improvisation. As The Cap’s front room, Garcia’s allows that exploration to happen on a smaller scale where musicians and audience can engage close up and the energy is really palpable.
GW: The latest single “The Mayor” marks a shift into more funk and soul territory. Can you talk about how your sound has evolved since A Moment Out of Time, and where you feel it’s headed?
Meg: A Moment Out of Time was exactly that - a moment. And in that particular one, we were writing what we were feeling and what we were experiencing. Once the album was completed and we played it out a few times, we started to get into a different groove and mindset especially as we started playing more cover tunes. I think that’s what really inspired the change - we loved seeing how engaged the audience was on some of the funkier stuff like Sneakin Sally and Ain’t Nobody, so we wanted to channel that when writing originals. And I think if you look at the lyrics of The Mayor, you’ll find the subject matter is the same, we just shifted the vibe.
GW: This live album captures a raw, electric energy that feels different from your studio work. How do you approach performing live—especially when you know a surprise guest might jump in at any moment?
Meg: It sounds cliche but there really is a magic to performing live. Anything goes and the show must go on - so there’s a lot of freedom in that which allows us to go all in. Adding an iconic artist to that just ups the ante - it kinda fuels us to go to the next level and attempt to meet these amazing musicians where they are.
GW: You and Meg founded Twilight Muse with a very personal and introspective lens. How has adding this full band and collaborating with other artists expanded or deepened that original vision?
Meg: It’s been really fun collaborating with the rest of the band - who we’ve been playing with since our first live gigs - and now it feels even more cohesive. We’re really locked in, and when others make suggestions it always feels right for the collective. It also allows us to try new things as we all have different tastes and sounds we wanna nail.
GW: Twilight Muse is still a relatively new project, but you’ve already shared the stage with legends. What’s been the most surreal or unexpected part of this journey so far?
Meg: It would be hard not to say that the first John Popper moment wasn’t the moment. That’s when we knew we were onto something and that this could be a thing. But if I HAD to pick, it would be when Sierra Green joined us and did Red House. I think EVERYONE was blown away - she showed up and absolutely killed it. It was amazing.
GW: What’s next for Twilight Muse after this release? More collabs, new original material, or maybe even a studio album that reflects this more expansive live sound?
Meg: For sure more collabs, and we’ve got some new originals in the works. For a band like ours, time is a luxury and a challenge - we’re full time parents and hard working executives - but we always find time for our passion… in the twilight…
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https://twilightmuse.nyc/
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