83: Settling the Underscore Vol. 2 - Freaks and geeks

October 17, 2017 / Leo Sidran

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In this, the second of a series that explores music in commercials, we talk to three freelance commercial composers. These are the often invisible, uncredited creators of music for advertising. How does one enter the business of writing music for advertising? Who are the people who thrive in that world? What skills are required? What is the lifestyle of the creative composer? How much rejection can one person stand? What is it like to be a woman in a boys club?

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82: Settling the Underscore Vol. 1 - First Impressions

October 10, 2017 / Leo Sidran

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In this first of a series of episodes dedicated to the world of commercial music, two composer / entrepreneurs who have each put in their time on both the creative and business end of things talk about their careers and perceptions of the business. John “Scrapper” Sneider of Storefront Music, and Wendell Hanes of “Volition Sound”.

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81: Jonatha Brooke, Singer / songwriter

October 03, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Jonatha Brooke is ready to make a deal.

Singer / songwriter Jonatha Brooke answers the hard questions: Can songwriting be taught? What is the future for independent songwriters? How much personal information is too much to share on social media? Why is she so self critical? What is it like to write songs with Katy Perry?

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80: Mob Town Tour Vol. 4 - Art is what happened

September 26, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Music and art grow like wildflowers when the economy collapses. Plus: Why Richie Cole is the "luckiest guy I know."

On this final installment of the Mob Town Tour series, we visit Detroit, Cleveland and Toledo. We look at how the arts are the appetite for life, how life on the road can change people, and why jazz is Talmudic. Plus Richie Cole tells us why he is "the luckiest guy I know".

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79: Mob Town Tour Vol. 3 - Is jazz still regional?

September 19, 2017 / Leo Sidran

What makes a group of creative people lean in the same direction? Outside the Jazz Estate in Milwaukee with Ben Sidran and Bob Rockwell.

The third installment of the Mob Town Tour. This week: Milwaukee! What does it mean to have a bunch of creative people leaning in the same direction, or speaking in the same accent, and what brings that on? Particularly today, is it possible retain local flavor and speak a regional dialect in a global world?

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78: Mob Town Tour Vol. 2 - A club beyond category

September 12, 2017 / Leo Sidran

"We're not trying to be cool. We just are cool." The Green Mill is a jazz club beyond category.

The second installment of the Mob Town Tour series settles in for a weekend at the Green Mill in Chicago. Notably, the club's owner Dave Jemilo explains why "we're not trying to be cool, we just are."

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77: Mob Town Tour Vol. 1 - The Search for Meaning

September 05, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Bitcoin, road tripping, and the world’s oldest jazz musician

The first in a series of road documentaries capturing our journey, some conversations about it and what it means. Notably it features an in depth conversation with Minneapolis based jazz saxophone player Irv Williams, the oldest working jazz musician alive.

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76: Morgan James, Singer

June 09, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Morgan James has a soulful voice. But although she has a classic sound, fed by by the likes of Chaka Khan, Nina Simone and Eva Cassidy, she has a modern career. Her path has been completely unexpected, unpredictable, and in some ways unbelievable.

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75: Peter Straub, Author

May 22, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Author Peter Straub on jazz and fiction, improvisation and writing, how the past stays with us into the present, and how watching his Norwegian farmer relatives taught him how to write diligently.

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74: Ryan Keberle, Trombonist/Composer

May 03, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Ryan Keberle on the legacy of trombone players and arrangers, how the instrument is undergoing a revolution today, what being a side man taught him about listening, and why all improvised music is a form of protest.

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73: David Garibaldi, Drummer

April 21, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Drummer David Garibaldi on why Oakland is the funky side of the Bay, the work ethic of Tower of Power, the Garibaldi family recipe for happiness and longevity, and why the book is still being written when it comes to his legacy.

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72: George Colligan Pianist/Composer

April 09, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Pianist, drummer, trumpeter, educator, blogger, George Colligan on “creativity versus tradition”, jazz education, how standup comedy and jazz are similar, kids these days, playing with Jack DeJohnette, and why freedom is the gift of being a jazz musician.

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71: Ryan Gruss, Drummer/Entrepreneur

March 30, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Drummer turned entrepreneur Ryan Gruss on building one of the most creative music production libraries around (The Loop Loft), developing the “Blue Note of drum loops” and the unusual journey to took to get there.

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70: Ryan Hewitt, Recording Engineer/Producer

March 23, 2017 / Leo Sidran

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Recording and mix engineer Ryan Hewitt starting paying his dues in the business before he could even cash a check. He grew up surrounded by recording, assisting his father David Hewitt on mobile recordings, and eventually entering the business in earnest after college. He worked his way up in the old school way, assisting the best engineers of the day and working in the classic studios of New York.

His journey eventually led him to LA and then to Nashville, where we met to talk about his career, coming up in the tradition, forging new paths, working with new technology, developing his own sound, the value of producers, and when to take a steak of the grill.

Along the way we discuss working with Blink 182, Harry Connick Jr., Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Lumineers, The Avett Brothers, Rick Rubin, John Frusciante, Brad Mehldau, and many more.

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed it, please leave a review on iTunes!

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69: Remembering Tommy LiPuma

March 16, 2017 / Leo Sidran

My father and I remember record producer Tommy LiPuma and play some previously unheard interviews with him. These particular stories talk about a time in his life that hasn’t been talked about too much - his childhood in Cleveland, how the radio was his best friend, and how music saved his life, and how being a barber got him to LA.

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68: What Is Music Therapy?

March 02, 2017 / Leo Sidran

What is music therapy? How is it different from traditional talk therapy? Why is music so useful in accessing parts of the brain that we can’t get to in other ways? Creative arts therapists Dr. Brian T Harris and Mechelle Chestnut discuss.

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67: Alexis Cuadrado, bassist / composer

February 16, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Musician Alexis Cuadrado on the search for ecstatic truth, becoming an American citizen, and why he’s not Picasso.

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66: Adam Schatz, musician/presenter

February 09, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Musician and music presenter Adam Schatz on the scene in NY, his creative process, and why it’s important to make your grandparents laugh. Also: "The Good California Story".

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65: Duchess, vocal group

February 02, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Vocal group Duchess on finding your people, subverting the dominant paradigm and avoiding My Funny Valentine.

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64: Benji Rogers, entrepreneur

January 26, 2017 / Leo Sidran

Benji Rogers was an ex sound-man, bartender, and broke 34 year old musician, sleeping on an air mattress in his mother’s spare room, when he had a vision. Eight years later, he’s one of the most innovative, outspoken leaders in the music business.

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