Husband and wife Charlotte Kendrick and Dan Rowe discuss mixing music with parenting, as well as the challenges and rewards of creating and recording as an indie folk act.

"There is a ton of laundry, and cooking that no one eats, and no sleep, all that stuff. [But], there are crazy, beautiful moments that make it all worth it," says Charlotte Kendrick, half of indie folk-pop duo Goodbye Blue, with husband Dan Rowe.

For the couple, that unglamorous side of real-life is, perhaps unexpectedly, what helps drive its music.

"I think there's a danger artistically in being too fixated on 'making it,' and being a rock star, or a celebrity," Rowe muses. "What a lot of people respond to in our music is, it's a married couple. If I didn't have a day job, or if we didn't have financial stress, the songs wouldn't be the same. Let's not try to rid ourselves of those sources of inspiration.

"Someone said, 'The best way to be a great author is to live.' I think that's true about songwriting and making music."
On the latest Chart Beat Podcast, Goodbye Blue chats with host and Billboard co-director of charts Gary Trust about the duo's newly-released album Worth the Wait, its first after a lengthy break during which the couple largely set aside music to raise three children. "We didn't intend to stop [making music]. It just slowly happened," says Rowe. "Over time, if you're not actively pushing it, it fades off."

Eventually, Kendrick explains, "We realized that things were good, but we were missing this huge thing in our life that brought us together in the first place." Rowe continues: "We're almost blessed with this amazing situation where that artistic element is our time together. It's such a win-win."

The podcast also features Goodbye Blue performing three exclusive acoustic versions of songs from the melodic Worth the Wait: "Another One on the Way," "Where Did I Go" and the title cut. Fans can hear more of the act at two shows in the Tri-State area Dec. 9 and 11: at The Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair, New Jersey, opening for acclaimed folk vet Lucy Kaplansky, and at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City.

Goodbye Blue additionally touches on the hurdles and, ultimately, joys of being an independent act. After a recent performance, Kendrick says, "A couple came up to us after and said, 'There isn't an album that could possibly pertain more to our life right now than your album.' It's great to hear."