A life in the theater must be a pretty serious thing, because in these conversations with members of the Broadway community, the conversations are brutally real, big picture, somewhat cosmic and profound.
André De Shields, Dale Franzen, Michael Thurber, Schele Williams and Rob Jost all weigh in on the fate of the Great White Way.
Read MoreHow is Coronavirus impacting the creative class? What happens when musicians lose their primary income overnight? What opportunities are there for creativity in this moment of social distancing? What is the conversation for performing musicians, online creators, and artists? How is it different in countries with a social safety net?
Victoria Canal, Jack Conte, Joe Dart, Joy Dragland, John Ellis, Ari Herstand, Ryan Keberle, Andrew Leib, Adam Levy, Lage Lund, and Gege Telesforo all weigh in. Original Music by Charlie Hunter…sort of.
Read MoreComposer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Michael League on Snarky Puppy, the advantages to the American musical perspective (“we are light on our feet”), why “to create something authentic isn’t really possible to me”, how playing wedding and steak house gigs in Texas taught him about “humility and strengthening the muscles of versatility”, the importance of making everything as fun as possible on the road, why he sees himself as primarily a student, moving to Spain, and getting good sleep.
Read MoreWhat do A Tribe Called Quest, David Byrne, The Roots, D’Angelo, Pat Metheny, Erykah Badu, Jason Moran, Me’Shell N’degéocello, India.Arie, J Dilla, Run DMC, and Theo Croker have in common? They all benefited from the sound of Bob Power’s recording, mixing or production. Here he talks about history, technology, fat beats, staying in your lane, and keeping things fluid.
Read MoreVictoria Canal is a 21-year old Spanish-American, LGBTQ, differently-abled, singer-songwriter with a massively powerful message of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Everything about Victoria is completely exceptional - from her life experience to her demeanor and her talent - and at the same time maybe her greatest gift is her empathic, generous spirit. She’s just a good listener and incredibly seems to make people comfortable to be who they are.
Read MoreSinger/songwriter/actress Kat Edmonson on her journey out of the Lone Star State and into the Big Apple, her love of old well-made things, why “a tree is not scheming”, enjoying the moment, working with Woody Allen, loving “the limitations in a room”, acting vs singing, her new record, and not asking permission.
Read MoreVideo editor, bass player, recovering sketch comedy and improv player Mark Hervey on the journey that took him “flying too close to the sun”... twice. Along the way, he discusses why video editing is like playing bass (if it’s very noticeable, you’re probably doing too much), the alt comedy scene in New York in the 90s, what to do when the best work of your life goes uncredited, and how “death has no satisfactory resolution”.
Read MoreDrummer Mark Guiliana explains his ideas of coincidental interaction, and proactive repetition (“Repetition is one of the most powerful tools that we have in music and in life,” he tells me), the importance of familial relationships with his musical partners, how “sound is everything” and why for him “the music does the talking”.
Read MoreGilles Peterson is one of the most influential DJs and music curators in the world. Whether as a broadcaster, live DJ, record producer, festival organizer, or music curator, Peterson has devoted his life to finding, contextualizing, and presenting music from around the world. He sees his job as “connecting the dots.” One of Peterson’s most recent discoveries, Kassa Overall is, in the words of Time Out New York, “a Renaissance man: part chopsy, super-funky jazz drummer, and part rising producer-MC.”
Read MoreSteven Bernstein, Peter Apfelbaum and Will Bernard on looking forward, looking back, the musical concept of opposition, defying category, broken mirrors, free improvisation, why coffee is so expensive and music is so cheap, the musical conversation between Berkeley and New York, spontaneous composition, rock and roll, Jewish weddings, Sly Stone, Bill Laswell, Trey Anastasio, and why “sex” is still a dirty word in jazz. Recorded live at Winter Jazzfest 2020.
Read MoreSinger-songwriter-producer Caleb Hawley tells his journey of self discovery, addiction, creativity, Tourette Syndrome, longing, how telling the truth is like a drug, and why it’s so hard to write a happy song. Recorded in a storage locker in Harlem.
Read MoreMusician, writer, educator, actor and funk maestro Ari Herstand asks and answers the big questions: How can a project be bigger than just the music? What is the story? What is the difference between transparency and authenticity? How does one play to the strengths and limitations of social media platforms? Is the internet a real community? Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, California politics, immersive experiences, online education. It’s all here.
Read MoreLegendary recording engineer and producer Glyn Johns’ career and discography are so extensive that it’s very difficult to summarize quickly. The sound of his recordings has had an immeasurable influence on the way we listen to popular music. The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Beatles, Eric Clapton... he worked with them all. Here he talks about his philosophy of recording, producing, and managing a career in record making.
Read MorePodcast host, musician, and writer boice-Terrel Allen (often known as boice) on his personal and professional development, creativity, spirituality, Buddhism, depression, perseverance and love of Tina Turner. We also compare notes on podcast life, techniques, strategies, and ambitions.
Read MoreZev Feldman (known as the “jazz detective”) on becoming a producer (“it was like pouring gasoline on a fire”), the importance of “folklore and mythology” in the world of jazz collecting, why finding the right outlet for a recording is like finding shelter for an orphaned animal, and how he builds relationships.
Read MoreVulfpeck keyboardist Woody Goss on growing up in the suburbs of Chicago where he learned to elevate rhythm playing to high art, when he connected with the crew that would become his Vulf family at the University of Michigan, how talking about evolutionary psychology is emotional, why organized religion is dubious, where he likes to go bird watching, and who he really is when the spotlight is turned away.
Read MoreSinger-Songwriter ALA.NI on the job of the artist (“to see the world through a different lens and then share that experience”), the nature of Grenadians (“uppity”), improvised circle singing (“When we enter back into the child and the imagination, there’s no rules!”) and the genetic memory of violence in the black experience. In other words, all of it.
Read MoreSinger-songwriter-guitarist Camila Meza on growing up in Chile, the nature of translation, improvisation, self observation, bootleg videotapes, identity, cruise ship living, synesthesia and distortion.
Read MoreRyan Scott on his love affair with an 8 track cassette recorder, crossing the “jazzy line”, “keeping things open”, moving to New York right out of high school and falling in with a crowd of itinerant musicians who taught him how to “roll cigarettes and drink beer”, and what it’s like inside his head.
Read MoreWriter and scholar Jeremy Dauber on his book Jewish Comedy: A Serious History, how comedy evolves through context, the “complicated relationship of ownership and loss” among contemporary Jewish comedians in America, what’s so funny about fart jokes, and whether or not it’s possible to hide inside an apple pie.
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