The Unstarving Musician

297 Leveraging Your Email List

Whether your art is in music or some other realm, leveraging your email list is paramount. Once you have an established email list, the easiest way to leverage it is by sending regular emails to subscribers. They are your supporters, after all. Begin by considering how often you will send emails. In my experience, this can be a challenging commitment to meet, but you can change the frequency if you initially over commit. Consistency is key. Subscribers will lose interest in you and possibly even forget about you if your emails are irregular or infrequent. This episode covers getting started, planning ahead with an editorial content calendar, email topic examples, the anatomy of newsletter emails, why email works so well for creating deep connection with supporters, the peril of relying on social media alone, how your email list can help you make money, ConvertKit as an email platform for audience building, and more. Please enjoy this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found. https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/leveraging-your-email-list/ #musicianpodcast #unstarvingmusician #emailmarketingtips

296 Julia A. Miller, Delmark Records

In this clip, Julia A. Miller of Delmark Records talks about the importance of networking for women in business. In May 2018, Julia A. Miller became the CEO & President of Delmark Records LLC. That same year, Delmark Records LLC purchased Delmark, the oldest continuously operating jazz and blues independent record label in the United States. Delmark was founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1953. Julia and company celebrated Delmark’s 70th anniversary by releasing a 70th Blues Anthology and a forthcoming 70th Jazz Anthology. In this conversation, Julia shares with me her background in music and acedemia, the evolution of Delmark’s business model, how labels can serve as a business partner, how musicians can best leverage their labels for business, the challenges Delmark faces as a medium size international business, the role of labels in music publishing, pre and misconceptions faced by women business executives, the value of networking for women in business, the next 5 years, and more. Please enjoy my conversation with Julia A. Miller of Delmark Records. https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/julia-a-miller-delmark-records/ #bluesmusic #recordlabel #jazzmusic

295 Tracee Perrin

In this clip, Tracee Perrin talks about leveraging the help of others to make her music go. Tracee Perrin is a graduate of the Musicians Institute (MI) in Hollywood, where she learned how to produce and engineer her own music. In 2010 Tracee was accepted into the ASCAP Lester Sill Songwriters Workshop, an experience she says reinforced her desire to build a career in music. Tracee has its roots in the Los Angeles, but now lives in Nashville. She has a new single out called “Poison In The Water,” that will be part of a forthcoming EP, her first body of work in over 10 years. We talk about the evolution of her new single Poison In The Water, Nashville’s population explosion, her So Far Sounds performances, her experience in musical theater, self care for the voice, her 2024 release plans and strategy. I also ask Tracee what slows her down the most and what inspires her. You can find Traccee’s music at TraceePerrinMusic.com music and TraceePerrinMusic on Facebook and Instagram. Hear the full episode wherever podcasts are found. https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/tracee-perrin/ #alternativepop #alternativefolk #musician #musicianpodcast #unstarvingmusician #singersongwriter #nashville

294 Athxna

Athxna is a Nashville-based, New Orleans-raised R&B pop singer who started her musical journey on piano at age five. She has a new release coming very soon, recording sessions in her home town of New Orleans, and plans to release more music this year. Athxna has a new sync contract, which she attributes to pursuing a music business education and career. She works for an all female PR firm based in Nashville and has a bachelor’s degree in music industry. Athxna is methodically designing a life and career within the music business. We talk about her upcoming recording projects, her new sync contract, working in the music business, why she moved to Nashville, blues music, fashion and style, social media and more. You can find links to Athxna’s work and social media at AthxnaOfficial.com. https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/athxna/

293 Ady Parzentny

Ady Parzentny of Hit The Road Studio has recorded with a mobile studio in the desert of Morocco, and has audio mixing and production course content on PromixAcademy.com. Ady says he does what he does to make the world a better place by helping people make good records, go on tour, and do what they love. As a Mixing Engineer & Music Producer, Ady works with Musicians World Wide in Pop, Rock, Jazz, and World Music Fusions. Ady works with world-class musicians like Nani Vazana that hit #10 on the European World Music Charts, Mehdi Nassouli, and Karim Ziad, who plays with bands like Snarky Puppy. Our conversation leads me to believe that Ady’s a lovely human being, an impression that I’m confident you’ll agree with. In this conversation, Ady and I talk about home recording, production mentoring, drum recording technique, morocco, recording in less-than-ideal conditions, Ady’s YouTube channel, the history of mobile recording, the arc of Ady’s recording career, business coaching, Social inequality and Misconceptions, and more. https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/ady-parzentny/

292 Terry Carleton

Terry Carleton of Bones & Knives Recording Studio was recently asked to remix 150 original Vince Guaraldi recordings from his Charlie Brown cartoon soundtracks, the most recent of which was for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (50th Anniversary Edition). We talk about this project, the arc of Terry's music career and more on The Unstarving Musician. https://unstarvingmusician.com/terry-carleton/

291 Jennifer Roig Francoli

Jennifer Roig Francoli is a violinist, coach for musicians, and Creator of The Art of Freedom Method for Conscious Living and Masterful Artistry. She’s had multiple solo appearances at Carnegie Hall and with orchestras such as the Pittsburgh and Berlin Symphony Orchestras. Jennifer is also a former Associate concertmaster and soloist for the Grammy-Award winning baroque ensemble Apollo’s Fire, former faculty at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University, a prize-winning medical researcher on Alexander Technique for surgeons published, and founder of The Alexander Technique Guild of Ohio. Jennifer now helps musicians overcome physical and emotional obstacles to a joyful, successful musical life. Students of her private and group coaching programs learn how to free themselves from pain, tension, and performance anxiety, so they can enjoy doing what they love with ease. Jennifer played professionally at a high level and at an early age. She gave up playing violin to pursue spiritual practices and raise a family. Aspects of physical pain and creative void crept into her life. She eventually discovered Alexander Technique, became an instructor and practitioner, and rediscovered her love of violin. She has a new book, “Make Great Music with Ease: The Secret to Smarter Practice, Confident Performance, and Living a Happier Life.” We talk about her book, self publishing, attributing challenge to her personal turnaround, teaching Alexander Technique, musician taboo of admitting pain, getting stuck, fear, courage, performance anxiety, thinking less, over-doing, and more. Find links for listening at https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/jennifer-roig-francoli/.

LA-based producer Lars Deutsch recently released a whimsical album called “Boum Dans L’Espace.” He also created a series of short videos for the project, inspired by his appreciation for early sci-fi and the slightly out-of-tune. Lars is a two-time Emmy winner whose bio reads like this: “He went from heavy metal guitarist to singer, to songwriter, to a Masters in classical composition, to international performances of his classical works, to lecturing in composition and audio production to scoring three hundred films/commercials that have collected over one hundred awards.” Lars’ commercial work has been featured in everything from Toyota ads to Stephen King’s “The Passenger.” You can also hear about his work and working with him in episode 216, featuring singer-songwriter Amiena. Lars and I discuss his new release and video shorts, collecting sounds, retro sci-fi inspirations, the charm of slightly out of tune, the storytelling effect of weirdness & humor, using socials for fun rather than promotion, thoughts on AI in music, artist development, Dolby Atmos, and the biohacking perspective of thinking less. Please enjoy my conversation with Lars Deutsch wherever podcasts are found. https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/lars-deutsch-2/ #retroscifi #dolbyatmosmusic #unstarvingmusician #musicproducer #musicianlife

290 Lars Deutsch – Boum Dans L’Espace, Collecting Sounds, Retro Sci-Fi, the Slightly Out of Tune, Storytelling Effect of Weirdness & Humor, AI in Music, Thinking Less

LA-based producer Lars Deutsch recently released a whimsical album called “Boum Dans L’Espace.” He also created a series of short videos for the project, inspired by his appreciation for early sci-fi and the slightly out-of-tune. Lars is a two-time Emmy winner whose bio reads like this: “He went from heavy metal guitarist to singer, to songwriter, to a Masters in classical composition, to international performances of his classical works, to lecturing in composition and audio production to scoring three hundred films/commercials that have collected over one hundred awards.” Lars’ commercial work has been featured in everything from Toyota ads to Stephen King’s “The Passenger.” You can also hear about his work and working with him in episode 216, featuring singer-songwriter Amiena. Lars and I discuss his new release and video shorts, collecting sounds, retro sci-fi inspirations, the charm of slightly out of tune, the storytelling effect of weirdness & humor, using socials for fun rather than promotion, thoughts on AI in music, artist development, Dolby Atmos, and the biohacking perspective of thinking less. Please enjoy my conversation with Lars Deutsch wherever podcasts are found. https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/lars-deutsch-2/ #retroscifi #dolbyatmosmusic #unstarvingmusician #musicproducer #musicianlife

Miss Velvet channels vocal styles like Janis Joplin and Robert Plant into a unique sound that comes through loud and clear on her new solo album “Traveler.” The New York native has performed in over 100 cities worldwide, including an opening tour for George Clinton. She’s entered a new stage in life and career as a mother with a changed outlook on life and a fresh sense of style. Miss Velvet is well known for her sense of fashion and performance style, making her a throwback gift to rock & roll. We talk about her new solo album “Traveler,” childhood In New York, touring with George Clinton, meditation, motherhood, working with producer Esjay Jones, fashion inspiration, Led Zeppelin, and more. Please enjoy my conversation with Miss Velvet wherever podcasts are found. #rockmusic #LAROCKER #musicianlife #unstarvingmusician #musicianpodcast

288 Johnny Burgin – Queretaro Mexico, The Queretablues Festival, His Guitar Masterclass And YouTube Channel, Moving to Memphis, Leaving Chicago, And His Forthcoming Album

Johnny Burgin has been making waves in the U.S. and abroad as a blues player entrenched in the Chicago blues style. He has performed and recorded with blues legends like Tail Dragger, Sam Lay, Billy Boy Arnold, and Pinetop Perkins. Johnny made a name for himself in the late 90s in Chicagoland blues clubs, a record deal with Delmark, and several European tours. He plays on average more than 200 shows a year, which is why he has such an appreciation for the stage, audiences, and other blues players. I performed with Johnny in and around Querétaro last month, the pinnacle of which was a headlining performance at the Queretablues Festival. This week I received a message from Johnny to ask what I thought about doing some shows with him in Mexico City, so to be continued (possibly). We recorded this conversation at the end of a busy ten days here in Querétaro while enjoying cervezas Bohemia, after which we went out for local cuisine. Johnny was feeling a little off and his last morning with us here in Querétaro, I think he was just experiencing a bit of exhaustion or perhaps still acclimating to our altitude. I’ve since gathered he made it home feeling great. Johnny is a lot of fun to perform and hang with. He’s still showing me the ropes of Chicago blues, which is an exercise in restraint from my improvisational ways. But it’s also an education in nuance. We talk about Querétaro Mexico, The Queretablues Festival, his guitar masterclass (at the Queretablues Festival), his YouTube channel, moving to Memphis, leaving Chicago, and his forthcoming album. Please enjoy my tipsy conversation with Johnny Burgin wherever podcasts are found. https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/johnny-burgin-3/ #bluesmusician #chicagoblues #queretablues #unstarvingmusician #musicianpodcast #musicianlife

287 Andy McCluskey of OMD

Andy McCluskey is a founding member and lead vocalist of OMD (aka Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark). His band has sold over 40 million records worldwide. They are electronic synth pioneers and one of Britain’s best-loved pop groups. OMD conquered the United States with their 1986 hit, “If You Leave” from the Pretty In Pink soundtrack. They have also achieved 12 top 20 hits on the UK Singles Chart and three top 20 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. Following the celebration of their 40th anniversary last year, OMD have released their first new studio album since the 2017 release of The Punishment Of Luxury, a record entitled Bauhaus Staircase. The new album dropped on October 27th, 2023. The press release says Bauhaus Staircase is OMD’s most explicitly political record; however Andy tells me that art and politics have always been at the forefront of their songwriting themes. Like many artists, Andy rediscovered his creativity, thanks to the boredom of lockdown. We talk about this, plus their new album, the band’s stunning new music videos, memories of the first OMD gig, art, politics, OMD’s participation in the forthcoming Dark Waves Festival, Liverpool F.C., and the longevity of his voice. It was a great pleasure speaking with Andy. Our time went too fast, but what can we do. He’s very busy with interviews, concerts and various media projects. Find the new album and all things OMD at omd.uk.com. Please enjoy my conversation with Andy McCluskey of OMD on Apple Podcasts and other popular audio platforms.

286 The Vintage Yell – Working As A New Band, Writing And Recording New Music, Release Strategy, Mesquite St. Records

Chris Raspante and Jesse Spradlin on spreading the word about the Vintage Yell launch party. Chris and Jesse are The Vintage Yell. Chris appeared in episode 2 and episode 186 of The Unstarving Musician, which are among the most popular for the podcast. Chris and Jesse joined forces to form The Vintage Yell somewhat recently and have a lot of new music coming soon. You can find their new single “Goin’ On Swinging” at TheVintageYell.com. Jesse, Chris and I had a great conversation. I especially enjoyed their discussion of The Vintage Yell launch party and their coming-out strategy. We also discuss working together as a new band, writing and recording new music, release strategy, Mesquite Street Records, and more. On a side note, Chris performed on, recorded and mastered my singles “On Top Of The World” and “New Gods Part 2.” You can hear both songs at Robonzo.com. He is a talented guy, as is his new bandmate Jesse Spradlin. Hear my conversation with Chris and Jesse of The Vintage Yell wherever podcasts are found. https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/vintage-yell/

First outing in Querétaro with Johnny Burgin, a house concert in our Centro Histórico… good times.

Unstarving Musician 285 Johnny Burgin (Rewind)

This is a rewind episode featuring blues guitarist Johnny Burgin. What is a rewind episode? It’s a previously published episode, one of my favorites, and one that I think merits re-publishing. I give these episodes a fresh edit, which means you will find it even more enjoyable from a listening perspective. Johnny Burgin, the coast-to-coast (intercontinental) Chicago blues man, first appeared in episode 31 back in December of 2017. We performed a house concert on February 11 2020 at Tranquilo Retreat in Panama. He’s coming to Querétaro to perform the 9th annual Querétablues Festival, which you can find on Facebook @BluesFestQro. I have the honor of being part of his band for the festival. We’ll also do some private shows and one secret show while he’s here. My conversation with Johnny was truly great. I’m so happy I re-listened to it for this special rewind edition. Johnny is the real deal where blues guitar is concerned. We discuss his history as a musician, and his philosophy on blues, music, and the stage. We also talk about some of his international tour adventures, relationships with blues players in Chicago, Silicon Valley, and around the world, Pinetop Perkins, the Chicago Blues Festival, and more. Find Johnny’s upcoming tour dates and music at JohnnyBurgin.com. Please enjoy this rewind conversation with Johnny Burgin wherever podcasts are found. #musicianpodcast #bluesmusician #musicianlife #BluesMexicano #bluesqueretano #queretaroseinundadeblues #queretarosepintadeazul #Queretablues #Chicagoblues

284 JR Richards – Dishwalla, His 10th Album Forthcoming, Spotify Discovery Mode

One of the best voices in rock has been used to describe J.R. Richards. He’s the original singer of Dishwalla, one of my favorite bands to emerge in the 90s. Richards has sold millions of records, written some chart-topping hits and has toured globally. Perhaps his most noteworthy accomplishment was writing “Counting Blue Cars,” which he performed and recorded with Dishwalla. That song won the Billboard “Rock Song of the Year” award in 1996 and two ASCAP awards for “Song of The Year” in 1997 and 1998. Richards has also recorded a few solo albums and is on the cusp of releasing his next album, the 10th in his career. I only recently became acquainted with his solo work because I was looking for an acoustic cover of “Counting Blue Cars” for an acoustic 80s/90s covers project. I found an acoustic version, but when I saw the singer on that acoustic version, it occurred to me that it wasn’t the original guy. Down the rabbit hole I went. I don’t know who the new singer is. He’s good, but I’m definitely partial to Richards’ voice. So I found his solo work, website and lots of other info about him that I never new. I loved Dishwalla, but I’m not what you’d call a super fan. I lost track of the band after they stopped releasing new stuff. But I am a big fan, so I was stoked when JR agreed to an interview. The time passed so quickly! I spend most of our time nerding out with him about e-commerce, the importance of email lists and other topics I typically pursue on the podcast. I ended up with several questions that we never got too. The other thing is that he’s a ‘normal’ person, a dad and husband; a very talented normal person, but just a guy. Richards is as kind and humble as any other indie musician I’ve ever had on the podcast. We talked about Dishwalla, his forthcoming record, email marketing, e-commerce, touring, adapting to changes in music, Spotify Discovery Mode, some of his work as a producer, what he’s got cooking in th

Unstarving Musicina #283 Susan Rogers

Susan Rogers teaches Music Production and Engineering at The Berklee College of Music (Berklee Online). She holds a doctorate in psychology from McGill University, where she studied music cognition and psychoacoustics. Her research focuses on auditory memory, the perception of musical signals, and the influence of musical training on auditory development. For two decades before her science career, Rogers was one of the few women known for her work as a record producer, engineer, mixer, and audio electronics technician. Susan’s career highlights include years (1983–1988) as a staff engineer for recording artist Prince, also working with Barenaked Ladies, David Byrne, Tricky, and Tevin Campbell. My guest relations advisor sent me an NPR interview with Susan in which she talks about her book “This Is What It Sounds Like: What The Music You Love Says About You.” After learning about the book and her career, I invited Susan to the podcast, and she graciously accepted. My research for this interview involved checking out some of Susan’s other interviews. I noticed she always gets questions about Prince. Leading up to the interview, I figured she’d talked about Prince ad nauseam, but then I realized she loves discussing this part of her career. She feels lucky to have worked with Prince and wants to help keep his legacy alive. Even so, I didn’t want to focus too much on Prince, but I did plan one Prince-question, so we did talk about him. We also talk about the neuroscience of music preferences, analyzing the techniques of Frank Sinatra, the progression of production approaches, leaving the music business for academia, working with Barenaked Ladies, how music functions for listeners today, and much more. Learn more about the book “This Is What It Sounds Like,” by Dr Susan Rogers at ThisIsWhatItSoundsLike.com. Hear the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other audio platforms. #musicianpodcast #musiccognition #thisiswhatitsoundslike #prince

Rory Kenny is a co-founder and CEO of Loudly, a platform that helps create AI-generated music in seconds for your videos, social channels, advertising media, podcasts, apps, and more. It’s 100% royalty-free and easy to use. Every sound on Loudly is human-made and restructured as samples, loops, and stems. Loudly allows users to download stems from AI-generated tracks and use them in their projects on their DAW of choice. The predominantly web-based app rolled out about five months ago as I record this episode intro. We talk about the product roll-out, Rory’s inspiration for co-founding Loudly, the company roadmap, business challenges, use cases, the Loudly mobile app, finding the ideal team members, copyright, the future of music and AI, and more. No matter what you think about AI, this conversation and the trends that will follow are well worth our time and attention. If you have follow-up questions, I know Rory is open to hearing from you, and you can certainly send your questions to me. I’d be happy to follow up with Rory on your behalf. Hear my full conversation with Rory Kenny of Loudly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other audio platforms. #ai #generativeai #music #musicianpodcast

Garry Peterson is a founding member and drummer of The Guess Who. Garry has been making music for over six decades. Garry also performed with Bachman Turner Overdrive, during their support of the Van Halen 5150 Tour, a show I attended long ago. He has to his credit fifteen albums that have charted on the Billboard 200, fourteen singles that have charted on Billboard’s Top 40, including two #1’s, three Gold Singles, and three Gold Albums as certified by RIAA. Garry plays drums on their new album Plein D’ Amour and plans to record on the next Guess Who album. He still tours with the band, which promoted me to tell him that he is practically a Rolling Stone. He reminded me that he his music career started around the same time as The Stones. We discuss his long career, the new Guess Who album, the band history, his drum gear, facts versus fiction about The Guess Who, Garry’s advice to young players, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Garry. He is such a nice guy. We experienced some connectivity issues that resulted in a slightly lower audio quality than I strive to provide you with, but I’m confident that you will still get a great deal of enjoyment and value from our conversation. Hear the new album by The Guess Who at TheGuessWho.com and music services everywhere. Here is me talking with Garry Peterson of The Guess Who. #musicianpodcast #drummer #musicianlife

Nichole Wagner has a new album titled Plastic Flowers coming soon. The Austin-based songwriter released her first album in 2018. Her music is blends soulful country-rock with funky Americana sounds. She comes from the small town of Louviers, Colorado, studied Journalism at Arizona State University, eventually landing in Austin. We talk about this, plus rebooting her Patreon, a college correspondent gig with Spin Magazine, drive by poetry, perceived roadblocks to writing music and learning to play guitar, house concerts, birthday show July 2023, a couple of favorite songwriters, love of stationary, and mutual acquaintances. You can find all things Nichole Wagner at NicholeWagnerMusic.com. Please enjoy our conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all the other podcast places. https://www.unstarvingmusician.com/nicole-wagner/ #musicianlife #austinmusicians #musicianpodcast #unstarvingmusician #singersongwriter