Each issue of Esopus featured an audio CD with brand-new music inspired by one chosen theme. The Esopus 23 CD explored the subject of “Close Calls.” For it, I invited 13 musical acts to pick a close-call moment from their lives to serve as the basis for a new song. For this behind-the-scenes podcast, I spoke with four contributors to the CD—Anthony LaMarca (The War on Drugs), Darren Solomon, Jo Lawry, and The Kickstand Band)—about the songs they created and the hairy moments, ranging from near-death experiences to romantic misfires, that inspired them.