I'm joined today by Hudsonville guitarist Lee Heerspink! I first heard about Lee through his involvement in Derek Brown's recent album with the Holland Concert Jazz Orchestra and later met him through gigging with the BlueWater Kings Band. He's part educator, part arranger, part skilled guitarist, and part father, juggling so many roles all while keeping a cool head and a calm demeanor! We chat about his recent album (that I was also on), his upcoming release show at Listening Room, and his background in music school, a military music career, and more!

Jeff Baldus is on the podcast today! Jeff is a Grand Haven based bass player who performs as a freelance musician, mainly with the BlueWater Kings Band for weddings and corporate events, and works for C3, a spiritual community that highlights the talents of local artists and features impactful guest speakers on all sorts of topics from Civil Rights to environmental action. We chat about our wedding season fatigue and freelancing in 2021 in today's episode of the Mitten Backstage!

I'm joined this week by Alana White, a wonderful musician from Grand Rapids who now lives in Chicago! We met years ago at GVSU when we were both working on our music degrees, and since then she has gone on to form okaycool and explore her creativity beyond the expectations of her classical vocal studies!

Having recently caught with these guys a little on a photo shoot AND anticipating my next video session with them soon, it's clear that Dogtown Studio has seamlessly woven themselves into the fabric of the Grand Rapids/broader Michigan music scene!

Conrad Schaak is known around the Grand Rapids music scene as an ambitious, helpful, multi-faceted artist in groups like .Shi, Conrad Shock + The Noise, and as a label manager for Culture.M4a! Whether you need assistance producing your next record, an artist to provide a distinct flavor to your lineup, or a way to distribute your album (even with the option to print items to tape!), this guy has you covered!

Each week, you can see discussions on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you subscribe on Patreon you can get early access to episodes and more!

I chat with Brandon Copeland, a man of many talents and backgrounds in the Grand Rapids music scene! From DIY venue parties and running a punk venue to live sound/studio engineering work to teaching at the West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology (WMCAT) to creative projects like Dante Cope and Les Creatif, there are many avenues to engage with his art and learn from his experiences!

We're back! This week, I'm joined by bassist and collaborator Ben Steer, a name you might recognize from his heyday with The Zannies around Grand Rapids, MI! In the years since this group disbanded, Ben has made a name for himself as a quality session and subbing bassist around West Michigan and is now taking the step towards being a full time musician while also pouring a lot of creative time into his own personal music. You can hear him with groups like Elijah Russ, Melophobix, The Hackey Turtles, and Bedroom Ceilings. It was great getting to chat with him on the return episode of Mitten Backstage!

Since graduating from the University of Michigan years ago, Dr. Annika Socolofsky has cemented herself as a powerful voice in the contemporary classical space as a singer, composer, and performer collaborating with artists from around the globe. It had been a few years since I sat down and chatted with her, and what a wonderful conversation that followed with this podcast chat! We catch up and chat about our lives, including her move to Colorado and the challenges that came with it during 2020, her upcoming creative projects with Latitude 49 and her new artist collective Anticx, and the joys of music-making and teaching reigniting the passion being able to teach in-person again and after performing at Gaudeamus Muziekweek in Utrecht this month!

I sit down and chat with David Ward, a drummer/percussionist/producer/emcee from the east side of Michigan! He is a recent addition to the Earth Radio crew, is friends with my West Coast family members (small world), and can be seen with Sabbatical Bob, Fiendigods, Lily Talmers, and giving "biking bar tours" around Ann Arbor! We recently played Pond Jam together and it was nice to have some more time to chat.

I'm happy to sit down at chat with Loren Kranz! When he's not on the keys co-leading the Barbarossa Brothers or grooving on the kit with the Mark Lavengood Band and Erin Zindle & The Ragbirds, he's a passionate, full-time musician of 12 years with stories to tell and students to teach through Major Chords for Minors, a non-profit based in the Saginaw area. We always have great chats on the road and at shows with Mark Lavengood, and he's always a welcome addition to any lineup! We chat about our newfound perspectives ending a crazy summer of gigging after a year and a half of uncertainty and what we're looking forward to for the future, it's a podcast episode full of hope and wisdom!