Sonic Boom, aka Pete Kember, has been a progressive and innovative musician that has consciously worked towards living an uncompromising life. He was a founding member of Spacemen 3, a producer for the likes of MGMT, and, most recently, a collaborator with Panda Bear on Reset. Devalued chats with him about how he’s managed to traverse a decades long career creating music that pushes the envelope while balancing the need to have an income. Sonic Boom reminds us to be uncompromising and that the amount of profit you have is entirely disconnected from the level of creativity you possess.

Follow Sonic Boom on Instgram at @2020sonicboom2020.

Mike and Caroline are joined by Tristen and Liza Anne to discuss the myriad of hurdles facing musicians in our modern age. How do you avoid the trappings of being a workaholic? How do you feel empowered to simply ask for what you need? What is the definition of “Making It” and how can you design the life you want while staying true to your art?

Follow Tristen at @tristentristen on Instagram and pick up her music on Bandcamp.

Follow Liza Anne at @lizaannemusic and her music on her Bandcamp.

Mike and Caroline sit down with Gil Costello and Taylor Cole; talent bookers for The Basement and The East Room; respectively. Together, they discuss what bands need to know about how to book shows, how to build an audience, and what venues need to ask you back. The ensuing conversation is invaluable in understanding how a venue wants to be profitable but also wants to help the artist walk away with a boost as well. It’s an ecosystem that depends on another and it’s always wise to be good to your venue and they’ll be good to you (ideally).

Follow Gil at @gilcostello. Follow Taylor at @thisistayls and @creaturec0mfort.

Damon Krukowski has spent a career releasing dreampop, psych rock and psychedelic folk within Galaxie 500, Magic Hour and Damon and Naomi respectively. Along with his stunning and diverse musical output, he’s been an outspoken champion for artists. His newsletter Dada Drummer Almanach frequently points out the fallacy of streaming services and misleading industry news. He is an active member of the Union of Musicians & Allied Workers to create a more level playing field for artists and workers struggling in society.

In this debut Devalued episode, Krukowski discusses all of these topics and how artists empowerment is truly a political issue that goes well beyond the imbalance of Spotify payments. His experience with both the indie and major label industries spans decades and his insights are invaluable.

For more from Damon Krukowski, subscribe to his newsletter, follow him on Twitter and support him on Bandcamp.

Welcome to Devalued with Mike and Caroline; the place where we talk about art and money and how creative people are navigating the ever changing landscape to make a living for their work.

We started this podcast because as two creative people, we wanted to have the conversation in public that every creative person is having in private: How do I make it? What is ‘making it?’ Why bother creating anything at all? What is my work worth? Should I let the rest of the world define the value of my work?

This series is all about exploring these questions. Our intention is to give you a Roadmap, a Guide, and some encouragement to continue to live a creative life through open-hearted conversation with incredible people.

We’re going to be interviewing all types of creative people and we’ll be talking about all types of issues that creative people face.

We hope that you’ll get something out of it. We’re excited to have you join us along this journey. Welcome to Devalued.

Your hosts: Michael Ackley & Caroline Bowman