The idea behind Monsters of Folk was actually pretty simple -- it's just a group of four friends who came together to form a band for fun. But those four friends happen to be well-known alpha males, each one a successful singer-songwriter in their own right, each one respected for leadership within their own projects (including Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket and She and Him), and each possesses their own distinctive creative vision. After all, the band members are Conor Oberst, Jim James, M. Ward and Mike Mogis.

But rather than turning into a clash of the titans, the Monsters of Folk were able to achieve unity, driven by their mutual respect and love for each other's music. Spinner gathered all of them together in a Santa Monica hotel room recently to discuss the making of their self-titled album and, of course, each other.