Listening Lyrics

Joel Daniel and special guest Alex Jordan discuss how an app like SonicMixercould be a game-changer in live music.

Musicians (artists) are caught between streaming services and the corporatization of music venues. In this episode of Listening Lyrics,Joel discusses an app that works like Airbnb for house shows.

It is extremely difficult for a start-up band (or even an established one) to get a show and cut their teeth. Venues are tough to crack, but houses are abundant and could be used for house shows more than they are. 

The app is easy to use and it works. Joel helped to launch it in Austin last November. In the show he talks about how to get more potential hosts to open their homes to the idea. 

It's a two-way street. The concerts become a very personal experience for both the artist and the guests. A big plus for artists is that instead of just surviving on what ends up in the tip jar, they walk away not only with new fans, but a source of income to keep going.

Heads up. Before you listen, please note that the last 10 minutes or so of the broadcast we had some technical diffulties.

Alex Roth is an institution in Davis and Northern California. It's been a few years since I've heard him sing live, and boy, have I missed it. In this hour Alex plays a few tunes he has recently written. During the past few years he has spent a lot of time on many of the oceans of the world. He does this as he works for International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).

On today's show Alex talks a bit about his work and creating new music, but mostly he sings his tunes. I was blown away by his guitar work, his voice, the lyrics, and of course the music. He's a very talented musician, but even more his joy as a human being shines through in this broadcast. I was lucky to catch him for his short stay in Davis.

My personal choice is to be around creative people. That of course does not only mean music, but today it does. I spent an hour with a jazz musician who is not only creative but also very articulate about his creative process. Kunwoo Hong creates music on his laptop with a program called Note Flight. He plays piano, but his true love is percussion. Kunwoo spent the hour going through his process of creating a song along with some of his finished work. Listen and marvel at how we humans thrive on creativity.

In this hour we listen to some past one-hit (or more) wonders, and learn what happened to the singers and writers.

Check out the playlist. It is amazing how some of these songs became part of our musical heritage.

Guillaume Pastoor joins us this week to share with us his "affair" with the music genre bossa nova. Guillaume carefully selected songs to show us how different singers around the world interpet the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Jacob Johnsonand Henry Humphrey of Cowboys After Darkshare their thoughts on how music is a language that is universally understood. These two gifted musicians can also articulate what they mean using the common language we know as English.

Jacob and Henry treated us by playing a couple of songs live on the air. Jacob allowed Listening Lyrics to debut "Fungus Funk," an original song from an upcoming rap/funk album aimed at communicating science (especially ecology) to middle- and high-school students and the general public.

The Big Poppies keep transitioning themselves into an extremely talented and tight band. Members Max Van Dyke and Julian Dean, who occasionally perform as a duo, talk about both the band and themselves as a duo in this episode of Listening Lyrics. During the show they share a cut from an upcoming album. I was blown away by it.

Listen for a glimpse into the sound of the Big Poppies.

Unfortunately my guest for today couldn't make it. Fortunately I put together a show with some weird but true stories, complemented by my awesome ability to pick some tunes to highlight the weirdness.

Check it out.

Caden Velasquez is one of the founders (and driving force) of theDavis Rave Company (DRC). He joined Listening Lyrics this week to introduce us to the organization and to look into the underlying goals of a rave concert. In the DRC's words:

"Davis Rave Co. emerged from a rich culture of people who wanted to push the boundaries at the intersection of creative expression and live music. With both ambition and the willingness to adapt, DRC grew to become a full-service creative agency offering artist representation, event production, creative installation consulting, music recording, and so much more. The potential for creative expression is astronomical when ambitious and talented people unite."

Caden picked some tunes to analyze and enjoy. Listen in.