Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the greatest male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. In this Artist Takeover episode, Rufus has an in-depth conversation with Glass Battles, the King of Spook Pop. Rufus and Glass Battles talk about their experiences since the pandemic began. One big lesson learned during these challenging times is that anything can happen – good or bad. What’s important is taking these situations and creating something beautiful and inspiring from them. Tune in as they reminisce about live shows and talk about the power of social media.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
https://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON 
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER 
https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM 
https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK 
https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

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LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a label, a podcast, a curation engine. LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism that enlists famed creatives to launch emerging bands. LaunchLeft begins with music, but ultimately aims to launch left-of-cent.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mxmtoon, also known as Maia, is an American singer-songwriter and YouTuber from Oakland, California. We discover the inspiration behind Maia’s music, art and how she came to share content online at the age of twelve. Always using her creativity as an outlet, she also hosts a podcast 365 days a year! We dive into mxmtoon’s newest EP, dawn, which challenged her to make a more optimistic group of songs, a definite departure from her more melancholy releases on ukelele. We then discuss other ways Maia fuels her creativity and the importance of collaboration for growth as an artist. And last but not least, tune in as we play mxmtoon's inspired cover of Radiohead’s CREEP to close the show.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
https://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON 
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER 
https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM 
https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK 
https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

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LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a label, a podcast, a curation engine. LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism that enlists famed creatives to launch emerging bands. LaunchLeft begins with music, but ultimately aims to launch left-of-cent

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special Artist Takeover, we welcome award winning director (Transparent, Pose, Dickinson) Silas Howard in conversation with celebrated writer and visual artist Harry Dodge. Long time friends and collaborators they discuss among other things working together on their film By Hook or By Crook about their experience in San Francisco’s queer community. They open up the show speaking about how narrative can be a powerful tool in films as the plot will closely overlap with activism.Plus,they discuss how representation is almost always disappointing- Sila’s meteoric rise as a trans filmmaker and we listen as Harry reads an excerpt from his new book, My Meteorite: Or, Without the Random There Can Be No New Thing. Tune in as Harry and Silas explain why Covid is the perfect opportunity to realize that we are all interconnected in society. 

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
https://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON 
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER 
https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM 
https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK 
https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

--------------------- 

LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a label, a podcast, a curation engine. LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism that enlists famed creatives to launch emerging bands. LaunchLeft begins with music, but ultimately aims to launch left-of-center artists in all creative fields. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are grateful to have Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink of Azure Ray at such an opportune moment as they just celebrated 20 years since their first release. We learn about the inspiration behind Azure Ray's music and how tragedy can create beautiful art. In this episode. Maria and Orenda reveal how music found them and what it was like starting a band together. Tune in as we talk about releasing Azure Ray on vinyl for the first time, and we play their hit song "Sleep."

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
https://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON 
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER 
https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM 
https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK 
https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

--------------------- 

LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a label, a podcast, a curation engine. LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism that enlists famed creatives to launch emerging bands. LaunchLeft begins with music, but ultimately aims to launch left-of-center artists in all creative fields. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we have Chris Stein on the show! Chris is an innovative guitarist, groundbreaking songwriter, and co-founder of Blondie. Plus, he is an acclaimed photographer. Chris's musical career gained inspiration from movie soundtracks such as West Side Story, and we talk about activism. Solo artist Grace McKagan joins the episode to talk about the backstory behind her latest single and the importance of being authentic on stage. We close the episode with Grace McKagan's song, "So Lucky."

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
https://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON 
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER 
https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM 
https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK 
https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

--------------------- 

LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a label, a podcast, a curation engine. LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism that enlists famed creatives to launch emerging bands. LaunchLeft begins with music, but ultimately aims to launch left-of-center artists in all creative fields. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is an exceptional treat to have super icon Jane Fonda join the show! If you didn’t already know, Jane Fonda is a two-time Academy Award-winning actress, author, activist, and fitness guru. We dive right into the inspiration behind Jane Fonda's activism. We all want to feel that our life has meaning. For Jane, she knew that with fame came a massive platform. So, she became an active participant in lifting the suffering from our world. We dive even deeper into Jane's activism passions, including the wage gap and getting more women into leadership roles. Tune in as Madeline Carretero, Influencer Partnerships & Philanthropy Manager at Greenpeace USA joins the show to talk about Fire Drill Fridays.

------------------ 

LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
https://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON 
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER 
https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM 
https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK 
https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

--------------------- 

LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a label, a podcast, a curation engine. LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism that enlists famed creatives to launch emerging bands. LaunchLeft begins with music, but ultimately aims to launch left-of-center artists in all creative fields. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

West London-raised musician/poet Arlo Parks joins LaunchLeft for a Portrait Series episode. Arlo dives into how music found her at a young age. As a child, jazz music was the soundtrack to Arlo's whole existence, plus her uncle gifted his vinyl collection to Arlo – the rest is history! Arlo discloses her writing process and why it's essential not to overthink things when creating a poem or song lyric. Plus, Arlo explains how she leads by example when championing the Black Lives Matter movement and mental health charities. We end this week’s show with “Hurt”, her latest single.  

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE 

https://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON 

https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER 

https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM 

https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK 

https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

--------------------- 

LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a label, a podcast, a curation engine. 

LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism that enlists famed creatives to launch emerging bands. 

LaunchLeft begins with music, but ultimately aims to launch left-of-center artists in all creative fields. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pharoahe Monch of th1rt3en joins this week’s episode of LaunchLeft. Pharoahe opens the show talking about his hip hop - rock musical group, th1rt3en. 2020 was a rough year, but Pharoahe, Daru Jones, and Marcus Machado are looking to cut through the lies and misinformation that have been spreading like wildfire. We talk about the importance of spirituality and how we need a collective consciousness to unite as one in society. Tune in as we play "Cult 45" off of their latest album, "A Magnificent Day For An Exorcism."

-------------------- LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE https://www.launchleft.com LAUNCHLEFT PATREON https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft TWITTER https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft --------------------- LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a label, a podcast, a curation engine. LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism that enlists famed creatives to launch emerging bands. LaunchLeft begins with music, but ultimately aims to launch left-of-center artists in all creative fields.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Harper opens the show speaking about Winter Is For Lovers, his instrumental record from October 2020, and the inspiration behind his brand new label, Mad Bunny Records. Ben has been able to launch his label and help artists during the pandemic. Ben gives his advice to emerging artists & shares what it's like to introduce artists into the world. Today, Ben is launching The Cush from Mad Bunny Records. Tune in as the members of The Cush join the show and launch their latest single, Haters. 

-------------------- LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE https://www.launchleft.com LAUNCHLEFT PATREON https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft TWITTER https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft --------------------- LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a label, a podcast, a curation engine. LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism that enlists famed creatives to launch emerging bands. LaunchLeft begins with music, but ultimately aims to launch left-of-center artists in all creative fields.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Widely considered a feminist icon, Grammy winner Ani Di Franco joins me for an interview on LaunchLeft. Ani opens the show explaining how she lost her job yet has been busier than ever. Ani explains why she created her own label in the 90s. At the time, it seemed so foreign, but she was happy to cut out all the middlemen of the music industry and sell directly to her community. Plus, Ani gives advice for aspiring young artists; to get out in the world and show them what you're made of! Tune in for our portrait episode as Ani Di Franco shares her latest song, Revolutionary Love.

In This Episode:

• [00:50] What Ani Di Franco thinks about most these days.  
• [02:35] Ani Di explains why she created her own label in the 90s.  
• [05:30] How Ani Di is reinventing herself during Covid-19 regardless of all the pitfalls that arise.  
• [15:50] Ani Di gives advice for young artists right now.  
• [22:20] At the age of 9, Ani Di asked her parents for guitar – she doesn’t remember where the idea came from specifically.  
• [24:40] Working on achieving justice and equality for all people. 
• [27:00] Ani Di launches her latest song, Revolutionary Love. 

Key Takeaways:

• All human beings have to adapt to the circumstances we are given; many things are out of our control. 
• Our best qualities aren't always forward-facing until there's a crisis.
• We share humanity together, regardless of our differences.
• To create justice and equality for all, it's just a matter of showing up daily for the people doing the good work. 

Links Mentioned:

• Guest Bio: Artist Website: http://anidifranco.com
• Righteous Babe Website: https://www.righteousbabe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anidifranco
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/anidifranco
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/righteousbaberecs

-------------------- LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE https://www.launchleft.com LAUNCHLEFT PATREON https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft TWITTER https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft --------------------- LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a label, a podcast, a curation engine. LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism that enlists famed creatives to launch emerging bands. LaunchLeft begins with music, but ultimately aims to launch left-of-center artists in all creative fields.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.