Mid Tenn Listens

One of the most engaging performers on the New England folk circuit, Howie Newman combines music, comedy and audience participation to provide a truly unique entertainment experience.

His amusing compositions are up-tempo and catchy, and he keeps things lively with funny between-songs banter and short comedy bits (there is also a smattering of serious songs).

Song topics include television commercials, baseball, cell phones, middle age dating, the weather, intergalactic garbage collection and more. And the material is totally clean, suitable for all ages.

In this episode of our Mid Tenn Listens podcast, I chat with Howie about influences, the newest project, technology and it’s benefits and more.

Listen to the full audio interview below or find it on Apple Music, Google Play Stitcher Radio or the TuneIn app. You can scroll down for a full list of podcast subscription options.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

I’m from Melrose, Mass., which is about 10 miles north of Boston. Although I play acoustic guitar and perform as a solo or duo, I wouldn’t consider myself a folk singer. Not that there’s anything wrong with folk music. I just prefer music that is a bit more lively so I call it folk-rock or country-rock. My duo is called Knock on Wood and my partner plays fiddle and mandolin (see www.howienewman.com/knockonwood for more info). I play guitar and harmonica, do all the lead vocals and write all the songs. For the most part, it’s up-tempo with a country flavor. I always try to inject some humor into the proceedings and strive to get the audience involved. It’s a very interactive type of show with lots of audience participation.

In addition to my songs, we play a lot of classic rock covers, including stuff that you wouldn’t expect from an acoustic duo, like Huey Lewis and the News, Eric Clapton, Steely Dan and The Who.

When I’m in the studio, I like to fill out the songs with piano, drums, bass, clarinet and second guitar, etc., along with the fiddle and mandolin. And lots of backup vocals and harmony. A lot of singer-songwriters feel like their recordings should be similar to what they perform live but I don’t really follow that approach. My theory is the studio is an opportunity to create something special, expand on the song and have some fun. I like lots of solos. If you’re going to hire musicians, why not let them do their thing and see what they can add to the mix?

Most of my original songs are funny or satirical, but I do have some serious moments, especially on my latest CD. I tend to write about personal experiences and things that happen to everyone. There’s a fun side to just about anything if you look hard enough.

I’ve written a bunch of baseball songs and have two CDs, Baseball’s Greatest Hits Volumes 1 and 2. These seem to resonate with a niche market and I sell baseball mp3s all over the world. It’s a small part of my live performances but tends to get a good amount of attention. For more info, see www.howienewman.com/baseball-songs

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?

There are two components to what I do: the actual sound and the approach to songwriting. I’ve always liked the instruments that are used in country music. Twangy electric guitar, fiddle, mandolin, pedal steel, honky tonk piano, etc. So I gravitated toward country-rock and folk-rock bands, like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Loggins and Messina, Poco and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I know I’m going way back for some of your readers. More recently (and recent is a relative term here), I’ve really liked the Jayhawks. So I’ve incorporated that country-rock sound into my studio recordings.

Jake Eddy is a musician, developer, fashion designer, booking agent, producer, and more who has spent most of his 17 years playing bluegrass and jazz music. In November (2016) Jake released, as 1/2 of a duo- “Steve Hussey & Jake Eddy”, an album called “The Miller Girl” which has been received very well. Jake recently […]

Jake Eddy is a musician, developer, fashion designer, booking agent, producer, and more who has spent most of his 17 years playing bluegrass and jazz music.

In November (2016) Jake released, as 1/2 of a duo- “Steve Hussey & Jake Eddy”, an album called “The Miller Girl” which has been received very well. Jake recently embarked on a new musical journey after making up his mind record and produce an entire album on an iPhone and title that album Smart, Phone!

The new project includes elements of jazz, funk, spoken word, rap, and even African/Latin/World musical influences.

Jake hopes to get this album in front of the right people at Apple to use as a marketing tool for iPhones and GarageBand, specifically to younger creatives.

Smart, Phone! was released in April. In this Mid Tenn Listens podcast interview, we chat with Jake about the project, influences, benefits of technology and more.

Listen to the full audio interview below or find it on Apple Music, Google Play, Stitcher Radio and more. Scroll down for a full list of podcast subscription options.

We have featured Jake Eddy before, find that feature here.

For more Jake, visit the official website.

Steve Hussey & Jake Eddy – Into The Ether (video)

Changing musical gears and moving from recent ambient experiments back into the instrumental rock/groove/jam aisle, it’s the highly anticipated follow-up to the Up All Night CD. Soulful and funky, Joe’s fifth album is a new collection of original music recorded in 2016 mastered by Grammy award winner Reuben Cohen of Lurssen Mastering in Burbank, CA […]

Changing musical gears and moving from recent ambient experiments back into the instrumental rock/groove/jam aisle, it’s the highly anticipated follow-up to the Up All Night CD.

Soulful and funky, Joe’s fifth album is a new collection of original music recorded in 2016 mastered by Grammy award winner Reuben Cohen of Lurssen Mastering in Burbank, CA for exceptional sound quality.

Joe Olnick‘s music combines classic elements into new explorations of sound and rhythm. His albums are instrumental and improvisational, with an emphasis on jazz/rock/groove and ambient atmospheres. Seemingly random patterns are arranged into unique modern statements that communicate the soul in his art.

In this interview, we chat with Joe about his latest release, influences, navigating the digital music world and more.

Listen to the full audio below. Scroll down for a full list of podcast subscription options. You can also listen on Apple Music, Google Play, Stitcher Radio and TuneIn.

Visit Joe’s website for links and more music.

Defiant Grooves, the new album, is available on Spotify.

Jen Miller is a Nashville-based indie recording artist, political activist, and the founder of Girl Gang Music — an online community and network of women + GNC folk within the music industry. An Ohio-native, Jen fostered her following online, with her tweets alone reaching nearly 25,000,000 people every month. In May 2014, her debut album […]

Jen Miller is a Nashville-based indie recording artist, political activist, and the founder of Girl Gang Music — an online community and network of women + GNC folk within the music industry. An Ohio-native, Jen fostered her following online, with her tweets alone reaching nearly 25,000,000 people every month. In May 2014, her debut album “Overgrown” reached #8 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts, and her feminist anthem “Bullshit” is currently the theme song of Women’s Health podcast “Uninterrupted”.  Jen has released two singles in 2017: “Down” and “My Type”.

Jen’s latest release, My Type, was recorded at House Studios DC and co-produced by Jake Vicious (creds Trey Songz, Wale, Faith Evans, Ty Dolla $ign) and the artwork by Lauren Campbell.

My Type is about the powerful intersection of religion, human sexuality, and how they collide in human society at so many levels.

I’ve got a lot of friends — and I myself — who have had to question if our existence is right. If our love is right. And now, finally, I am comfortable to say that it doesn’t matter to me either way. Let’s celebrate it.”

In this episode of our Mid Tenn Listens podcast, we chat with Jen about the new release, her influences, navigating the digital age and more.

Listen to the full audio interview below. Scroll down for a list of our podcast subscription options including Stitcher Radio, TuneIn, iTunes, Google Play, and FB Messenger.

My Type is available on Spotify and Soundcloud.

Connect with Jen on her official website,  FB, Twitter, or IG.

Behind the Scenes at House Studio

Fluid Notion, a movement of musical transcendence, released their debut EP, “Shut Up!” in March 2017 after their first single, “Think We Lost” hit the airwaves on Nashville’s #1 local radio station, Lightning 100. Focusing in great detail on their songwriting, each line is written with honesty and allows the listener to feel ‘in tune’ […]

Fluid Notion, a movement of musical transcendence, released their debut EP, “Shut Up!” in March 2017 after their first single, “Think We Lost” hit the airwaves on Nashville’s #1 local radio station, Lightning 100. Focusing in great detail on their songwriting, each line is written with honesty and allows the listener to feel ‘in tune’ with the songs that consist of different parts of the human experience. These true hearted, poetic words take you through many aspects of life while being backed by an extraordinary three piece band.

In this Mid Tenn Listens exclusive interview, we chat with the band about influences, the digital age, their new project and more.

Full interview and a stream of Shut Up! below.

You can find an array of subscription options (Apple Music, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, FB Messenger, etc) for our podcast by scrolling down.

Shut Up! by Fluid Notion

In this episode of our Mid Tenn Listens podcast, we chat with Dunlap, Tennessee based electronic songwriter Chance McDaniel about The Rainy Season, influences, motviations, the digital age and more. Stream the full interview below or scroll down just a little further to find all our podcast subscription options.