Family musicians Dan + Claudia Zanes on their new record, and their new life in Baltimore, what they see as their responsibility as folk singers, artists and advocates, what they describe as the “racial pandemic in America”, how to practice productive antiracism, coming from “two different worlds”, the work-life balance in a creative partnership, and what artisanal soaps have to do with any of it.
Read MorePhilip Lassiter unravels his journey starting out a preacher’s son in Mobile, Alabama to the top of the mountain as one of the first call horn arrangers and trumpet players for top notch musicians (including Prince, Ariana Grande, Kirk Franklin, Timbaland, Roberta Flack, Jill Scott, Anderson. Paak, Queen Latifa, Al Jarreau, Fred Hammond, The Isley Brothers, and many more). Why does he get called so much? “People ask me how did you get this gig or that gig. I always tell them, ‘I didn’t get the gig. The gig got me.’”
Read MoreSinger-composer Michael Mayo on managing his relationship with social media, which he describes as finding the “balance between staying sane and being seen”, the subtle space between practice and performance, live looping, bi erasure, the “syllables discussion” in jazz singing, generational trauma, his new record Bones, discernment, and living a life authentically without labels.
Read MoreHow seven years and nearly 200 episodes of podcast interviews inspired the record The Art Of Conversation. Excerpts of conversations with Amy Cervini, Andre De Shields, Jorge Drexler, Kat Edmonson, Kurt Elling, John Fields, Larry Goldings, Tatum Greenblatt, Ryan Keberle, Jo Lawry, Orlando le Fleming, Adam Levy, Howard Levy, Anya Marina, Matt Munisteri, Ricky Peterson, Becca Stevens, Doug Wamble.
Singer, songwriter, educator Roxana Amed on the meaning of Ontology, the ongoing conversation between artist and audience, surrendering yourself to your art, how and why different languages swing, authenticity and freedom in music, and her native Argentina.
Read MoreSinger-songwriter SG Goodman on growing up in a farming family in Western Kentucky before becoming a beacon for the progressive south, how music in many ways saved her life when she had to leave her farm life behind, and also gave her a way to honor her family’s southern storytelling tradition, and how to maintain that Old Time Feeling (also the name of her debut album) in a modern world.
Read MoreIn March 2020, just as the world was closing under the advancing cloud of Covid 19, I spoke to a handful of musician friends from around the world to hear how they were doing and to explore some of the pressing questions around the shutdown and the arts.
One year later, I check in with (almost) all of them to hear what the last year has been like for them, what were the challenges and opportunities of the first Covid year, and how they see the future.
Italian singer Gege Telesforo, saxophonist John Ellis, bassist Joe Dart (sort of), guitarist Adam Levy, trombonist Ryan Keberle, artist manager Andrew Leib, singer songwriter Victoria Canal, artist and advocate Ari Herstand, guitarist Lage Lund, mud trudging songwriter Joy Dragland and funk magician Charlie Hunter (in his way) all weigh in.
Read MoreImogen Heap on some of the major moments in her storied career. “I’ve just done so many random things,” she says. Like making her first record when she was a teenager, forming Frou Frou with Guy Sigsworth and their unlikely post-factum success, writing the song “Hide and Seek” and bearing witness to its many lives; working with Taylor Swift and with Jeff Beck, composing the music for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, inventing new instruments and tech tools, and being a mom.
Read MoreSinger, songwriter, guitarist and iconic recording artist Boz Scaggs is in turns philosophical, rhapsodic, nostalgic, and matter of fact about the 1960s, his brief stint at the University of Wisconsin, his solo career, success, ambition, rhythm sections, songwriting, performing, and what he’s reading today.
Read MoreSinger, rapper and entrepreneur Rexx Life Raj on his new EP California Poppy 2 (incidentally that is also the name of his new line of Cannabis products), growing up in Berkeley, discovering the world from the back of his parents’ delivery van, managing success & guilt, diversification, playing college football, finding the lane, building a brand, traveling around the world and giving back to his community.
Read MoreSinger, songwriter and composer Duncan Sheik on his career, his songwriting, technology in music, how meditating and chanting have helped him throughout the years, how becoming a father has influenced his work, his life in Covid and what it means to release music in these strange and trying times, and what exactly is Semiotics anyway.
Read MoreMulti instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, arranger, video maker, surrealist, funk monkey, producer and personality Louis Cole on where he came from, what he’s doing now, and where he hopes to go. Along the way he touches on writing “nostalgic music that feels almost like a memory of something that never happened”, overcoming fear, being a better person, staying up late into the weird part of the night, “insanity music”, money, honesty, humor, the problem with 100bpm, YouTube Poop, and what Nate Wood, David Binney, Bob Mintzer, and Jack Conte have to do with any of it.
Read MoreKeyboard master and singer-songwriter-bandleader Cory Henry on his early development playing music in church, learning to make music on Saturday night and on Sunday morning, how losing his parents at a young age affected his life and career, his experiences playing with saxophonist Kenny Garrett (Cory toured with Garrett at age 18), Snarky Puppy, and The Funk Apostles. Along the way he gives a master class on some of his favorite Gospel music, and an introspective explanation of much of the material on his new record.
Read MoreIsraeli singer Noga Erez on starting as a jazz singer-songwriter and then transitioning to what she describes as “the music in my heart”, the curious relationship between Israel and the United States from the point of view of a contemporary Israeli pop act, what it means to be a political artist, whether or not music itself can really make a difference politically today, why she is “the offspring of limitations” and if the phrase “I don’t pop with that” actually exists or not. Also, an extensive tutorial on how to pronounce her name.
Read MoreGuitar player, songwriter, producer Eric “Kraz” Krasno on what he’s doing during these strange and trying times, his experience as a podcaster, producer, and provider of deep and soulful grooves, the development of Soulive, Lettuce, & Velour Recordings, the values and expectations of jam and jam band audiences, “the boom bap with interesting chord changes”, learning how to do less and better, and how many times one man can say the word “nugget” in an hourlong interview.
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Singer-songwriter Louise Goffin on her life in songs, the value of fluidity, not believing everything you think, and what it means to "write it right".
Singer and songwriter Becca Stevens has the ability to make you feel like you know her even when you only know her work. Here she talks about “dancing with the critical voice”, looking for silver linings, “the whole money thing” and a newly born pack of baby ducks out her window. Plus she discusses her new record, Wonderbloom.
Read MoreJosh Norek is a difficult man to define. He is generally a behind the scenes kind of guy (record label exec, artist manager, music conference co-founder, radio host) but every now and then he steps into the spotlight with his band Hip Hop Hoodios. Here he talks about releasing new music during a pandemic, how he approaches his collaborations, and the secrets of securing Spotify playlist placements.
Read MoreVery few songwriters develop the kind of skill and status that Ron Sexsmith has. He’s a songwriter’s songwriter. He writes the songs that the rest of us wish we were writing. He does it consistently, carefully, quietly. If you know who he is, then you know what a deceptively brilliant songwriter he is, and you recognize his singing: at times sweet, other times plaintive or plainspoken. Here he talks about his new album, his process, his career, and how he finally came to own a house.
Read MoreMusician, singer, songwriter Curtis Stigers on promoting new music in the midst of a pandemic, what it means to be a gentleman, how hanging out in a hotel lobby in Boise changed his life, which lessons he learned from Michael Brecker & Gene Harris, and the difference between a tie and a cravat.
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