Here For Now

Season 2 closes out with Assemble Sound artist and product manager and Magic Stick program director Ryan Carignan. Ryan's a longtime friend and ally in this industry, with a story a lot like many of ours, self-built and multi-faceted. Ryan tells his story of making his way through the biz, including a can't-miss, wild hitchhiking tour story with a depressed, hammered dude (also named Ryan) driving 120 mph. He also has a great tour hack about Mormon churches that you need to know. Ryan's one of the best dudes, and that shines through in this episode!

After a failed attempt to record a podcast w/ Michaela via ZOOM early in the pandemic, we tried again and successfully completed a podcast recording with one of the most diversely talented people I know, Michaela Stock. She performs as Canceled Plans, is a vital cog in Michigan House, writes at Revue Magazine, and is just a remarkably productive and supportive person so early in her career. She's also never had a hamburger (true story), and shares a very intense story about international travel in the very beginning of a pandemic, transitioning within 24 hours from a magical night in Paris to racing home without her belongings as the U.S. borders closed.

I finally got the chance to sit down with my very good friend, Detroit musician and visual artist Alex Maniak, who you might know as Shortly. She spent time sharing wisdom learned about performing on stage from her youth theater days. We dug into what drives her songwriting (and what's changed since she started Shortly in that regard), her forthcoming full-length debut record, future plans, and her positive and honest outlook on life and music.

The effortless charm of Olivia Dear was on full display in this 4th episode of Season 2. This Detroit-area songwriter is just getting started with a new moniker after 10+ years performing under her given name, but she has experienced more as a touring musician in her first quarter-century on this planet than most do in their entire careers. That fresh start was central to our conversation about what gives Olivia hope for the future, and what drives her creative process.

Season 2 rolls on with a joyous interview with multi-faceted Detroit creative Bryan Hugo Iglesias. 2020 was a big year for Bryan, in the face of the pandemic, seeing the release of his infection debut EP Trust The Process. It was a step out of the shadows for Bryan, who's been known for years as one of the more supportive behind-the-scenes folks around. Come for the inspirational work ethic, where Bryan has learned photography, videography, music production, design, and more skills because it helped him reach his music goals, and stick around for a powerful piece of advice from blues legend BB King.

In an episode that feels like it was a long time coming, I got to catch up with my buddy Jason Singer, who you might know as Michigander. We dug real deep into the entirety of Jason's career to this point, from early demos on Bandcamp to his current Top 10 radio single, and everything in between. Jason's one of the best people I know, and in the past couple of years, he's really settled into his own as a powerful, supportive member of the Michigan music community.

We start Season 2 with Detroit-area musician and visual artist Kris Herrmann. It was obvious that neither of us had been talking a lot, as we took over 2 hours to talk about Kris’s drumming, photo and video work, the various tours he’s been on in past years with bands like Shortly, Tigers Jaw, Oso Oso, and more, and how it feels after so many years to finally have his drumming on a record. Kris is one of Detroit’s most versatile, talented, and loved creators, and that shines through in our interview.

In our debut episode, I sit down in my old REO Town office in Lansing with the founder and executive director of All of the Above Hip Hop Academy, co-director of the Below The Stacks Mural Festival, and independent rapper, Ozay Moore. We spent some time talking about growing up in Seattle and what brought him to Lansing, his time on Warped Tour, and we reveal Ozay's real name. And through all of that, we talk about using hip hop and street art as a positive force in a community.

On a weeknight in the Loving Touch green room, I got a chance to reconnect with an old friend, Lauren Roberts, who mixes middle school education by day and playing piccolo in the Detroit Party Marching Band by night. Lauren is an incredible storyteller, and spills about the time she ruined a tour group through Graceland, how she stole a costume from Demitri Martin to dance on stage with the Flaming Lips, and snuck into the Lager House by way of the stage.

From Nick's beautiful dining room in the heart of small town America (Owosso, Michigan), we recorded the longest podcast we'll ever record with Foster Coffee Company co-creators and former Sosaveme bandmates Nicholas Pidek and Jon Moore. We talked about music's most iconic duos, how the heart of a local band morphed into mid-Michigan's coolest independent coffee brand, and the importance of getting involved in local politics.