Episodes
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Again we cast our mic and Zoom call across the waters to chit chat with a fellow Kindie player in the UK. Poco Drom beams positive energy like a flashlight set on happy in his music and in conversation. We cover some interesting ground in this one, talking about diversity, the Grammy's, getting a music scene started in England, and moving from a singer-songwriter sound back to a full glorious band vibe!
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I have a secret checklist of things that I would love to accomplish with my career. Some of these are vanity things, some are financial, some are artistic, and some are on the checklist just because why wouldn't I want to play guitar and lead a sing-a-long with Michelle Obama? Tim Kubart, by most measures, has completed his checklist and just... keeps... going! But what I wanted to find out from Tim was how it feels to be him. We talk about 10,000 hours, building a circle of support, new projects, and mostly what it is like to be Tim Kubart, someone who I can now say, (from personal experience) has a bit of that same grit and pixie dust that I noticed when I met Fred Rodgers.
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Episodes manquant?
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Maybe the future of world peace rests in the hands of creative types like Brady Rymer and David Gibb. Not a bad place to start I suggest. What sparked as a mutual respect for each other's music worked into a tour in the UK and then became an album project called "Songs Across the Pond". I chat with Brady and David about the 5 steps of making an album like this, how they are dealing with the releasing an album during 2020, the hesitant British Kindie scene, and how collaborative song writing is like playing a crossword puzzle. Sort of. Stay tuned to the end to see who drinks the margaritas!
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There are many ways to make a living as a musician, and they all have one thing in common, you gotta know how to do The Hustle. My good friend (and former bandmate) Matthew Nord excels at The Hustle, working in schools, camps, weddings, private lessons, and always coming up with new programs and ways to offer music and movement to kids in our community. Really great chat about constantly finding ways to keep a business alive and still find time for your own creative needs! Thanks Van McCoy!
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Portland oh Portland, how does your kindie grow? Very well, evidently! Case in point - Mr. Red Yarn (aka Andy Furgeson) who has been hatching fantastic radio-ready albums painted in the Americana colors only an Austin/Oregon hybrid could fashion. Funny and insightful chat on the migration from in-person to online. Includes a new segment called 'Top Three' which is the top three (surpise!) things that the guest thinks are critical elements of success. Yeah, I've done it before, but this time we do the segment with delay and reverb, so it is really real, really! Stay tuned all the way to the end to get a special promo code for an oil change (not available in any location).
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This time we visit with Beth Blenz-Clucas, owner of SugarMountain PR. Her company specializes in promoting folks in the kindie scene and clients range from those soft rock darlings The Not-Its! to funster Red Yarn and more. Cutting her teeth (is that even a thing?) in the industry back in the good old days of CD sales (think 1990's) Beth has taken her well-earned journalistic skills and fashioned a platform that has access to some of the best contacts in the modern children's music world. We talk about promotion, radio play, budgets, marketing costs, what she looks for in new artists, and above all, repeat the term "next level" so many times I had to legally put it in the title of the podcast. Hang around to the very end where I go full-disclosure on my experience with PR firms as well as curse. A little.
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Wow! We enter an episode of Breaking Bad and guess what? It all ends with us eating breakfast! Hmm... ok not really. But maybe? Jesse Freidberg and I discuss the current state of affairs, the lack of kindie in Country, beautiful Cleveland, and clever tricks to engage young audiences through live-streaming! It is Awesome! Just like his new album (produced by Dean Jones).
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Oh Chicago, you awesome town for tunes! This time I chat with Wendy and DB about the music they make, what motivates them, how they have moved their shows online, and SO MUCH MORE! Wendy has a long history of activism and DB a long history of being a music teacher, together they are more than the sum of their parts. We chat about releasing their new album during the pandemic, being vocal about social issues, and adding library gigs when most everyone else sees their shows going away.
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Amelia Robinson, aka Mil's Trills, used the chaos and uncertainty of the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic and quarantine to organize and help other members of the kid's music genre with promoting their online shows. Not only that, but she transitioned her highly interactive and engaging in-person performance to the online platform in a most remarkable way. On this podcast we chat about getting comfortable with getting messy during performances, we explore how your intentions can better help inform and direct how you maintain your career in these really strange times.
We also talk about underwear.
Stay tuned to the end to hear Amelia's anthem to the re-opening, it is totally worth it!
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Our series of interviews with kid's performers who have a foot in both young and grown-up music camps continues. This time we chat with David Heitler-Klevans who (along with wife Jenny) are long-time performers under the name Two of a Kind and also play folk music for grown-ups in Acoustic Blender. The conversation covers some great territory in terms of political material, standing up for kid's, and overlapping genres. I attempt to interview David using my mostly inept impersonation of Sean Connery. Yeah...
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Some stars glimmer a bit brighter than others, and this time we talk to a really bright one! Twinkle Time has a fantastic resume of Billboard charting power-pop with her all-girl band Nobody's Angel, has done the national touring rock opera musical gig, (with Ted Neeley, um... yeah THAT national touring rock opera) and now she cuts a fearless swath with orange hair hip-hop dance rock. When not booking 200 plus shows a year she is also an activist fighting for us independent performers against career-killing legislation in California. Highly unlikely any of us can follow her path, but we can certainly follow her lead!
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Laura Doherty cut her kindie teeth (weird way of saying that) at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and has worked her craft into a career of singing and teaching music in the Windy City. We chat about the three big things that Laura feels are important for folks to play music for kids and families. No spoilers here, but you if you listen to the whole thing you will likely hear at least 6 great ideas to get you going! Oh and we speak about Ovation guitars too, because I'm a dork and am easily distracted by things, even during interviews. Wait, what were we talking about?
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This time we chat with Brendan Parker and Erick Alexander, the duo who performs under the name Spaghetti Eddie! but have recently released a 10-track Bible story album under the name Parker and Alexander. We talk a bit about the new album, All Of Us Bible Songs for Everyone, and what brought them to the studio to put together the project, how it has been received, and what it is like to perform non-secular music.
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Tony van Veen is CEO of DIY Media Group, the umbrella company that includes BookBaby, Merchly, and Disc Makers. For a unique perspective on the state of affairs in the music world, Tony brings a long career of knowledge to the podcast. We talk about the current role of the physical CD, the three rules for building an audience, why you shouldn't leave any money on the table when you monetize your music, how to approach the business of music as a creative endeavor, and most importantly, looking beyond the horizon and not giving up hope!
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Joanie Leeds just released a new album called All The Ladies and the project is fantastic! We chat about bringing equality to the music scene, singing Jewish tunes, living a split personality life in the kindie world, gear, fashion, and the importance of putting your best image out there!
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Heidi comes back to the Barn to chat with us about keeping perspective and staying mentally well during difficult times. In the face of change, disappointment, fear, and anxiety, it is ever important that we find our footing, some humor, and reach out when we need to. We chat about using this "pause" to maybe bring some clarity to our life and also the importance of keeping a routine while awash in this weird unknown. Yes there is music. And yes, if you listen to the very very end you may even discover something you probably didn't know (but I've known for awhile!)
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Ever think about starting you own podcast? Well then you should listen to this one! Mike Mason is the hosts the Good Stuff Kids podcast that features great interviews and song clips from folks all across the kid-friendly child entertainment spectrum. Mike has logged about 250 podcasts over the last 5 years and brings a great chunk of personal knowledge to the basics of starting a podcast, and also reflections on the kindie scene.
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Kelli Welli continues our series of Split Personalities, performers who pursue both music for kids/children and also, separately, perform for older or “adult” crowds. A mother of young twins, Kelli balances home/work life really well and has some powerful perspective on being courageous, brave, Portland, and why it is critical to feel free to pursue your creative muse. Also a story about what happens when kid’s get an accidental listen to a song with, well… harsher language! Kelli shares a couple of her tunes with us to bookend the conversation.
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Personally I don't play many library gigs, mostly because they sort of intimidate me, I don't know how to market to them or who to ask about lining up shows. But for many performers it can be a great way to go! This time we talk to world-touring award-winning library-playing icon Katherine Dines! Seriously, she answers all the questions and has some fantastic insight and advice for anyone wanting to get it right, right out of the gate. Also Katherine schools me on how to do the Hunk-ta-bunk-ta holler... yeah I totally fail this test. Twice. You try!
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Val Smalkin returns to the barn to chat with us about the wonderfully supportive organization known as The Children's Music Network. This group (which you should join!) has deep resources for every children's entertainer no matter where you are starting or what your goals are! Oh bonus round, Val springs a pop quiz on me that I fail (but I KNEW the answer!)
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