Mitten Backstage

Happy to be chatting with Brooklyn Kohl, a recent friend that I've made through mutual friends in the Grand Rapids music scene, many who have performed with Benjaman James or GrooveGround Music! While she is currently living in Brooklyn, we chat about our shared experiences in the Michigan music scene, especially our time in West Michigan churches.  

I had the pleasure of catching up with Olivia Vargas this week! We've known each other for a few years, and we chat about all of the things we've been up to in the past few months. She has worked on different recording and collaboration projects all while continuing to grow with her soul pop band, August. Her latest solo album drops on April 2nd, so be sure to check out the links below on how you can purchase and listen to it!  

▶▶ Support Olivia Vargas!

I'm joined this week by Detroit saxophonist/private instructor Sami Blosser! We met at WMU and have been supporting each other's careers ever since. We chat about recent projects she has been doing to help motivate new ideas while also reflecting on what keeps us motivated in 2021.  

▶▶ Support Sami Blosser!

It was such a pleasure catching up with Ryan McMahon, a great drummer and an even greater human being! We used to live together back when he first took up the torch as the drummer for Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, but we've been friends for a few years now gigging with artists like Benjaman James.

This week, I was happy to sit down with Elle Lively, one of the hardest working behind-the-scenes people in the Michigan music scene!  

I am excited to be joined by Michael Dause this week! Every time we chat, it turns into an exploration of art, creativity, a dash of nerd culture, and celebrating the artists we love and how they motivate our many creative pursuits!  

Michael Dause is a multi-instrumentalist and producer that is best known for his work in the indie folk pop trio The Accidentals and on his personal project, Treeskin. You can hear him on various recordings and see him on select tour dates this summer!  

I'm happy to be joined this week by Chris Bota! He's a wonderful guitarist, educator, and member of the Michigan band Desmond Jones, who have endeared themselves to the music-loving audiences of this state with their brand of American rock!  We chat about how Desmond Jones has shifted their focus to streaming and creating content on platforms like Patreon in the absence of regular touring, and how Chris personally has developed as an artist adapting to more remote work and teaching.   

Today, I'm excited to chat with Hannah Laine! Many of you know her around West Michigan for her soulful singing, mindful creativity, and dedication towards giving others the tools to feel healthy, grounded, and supported. We have barely seen each other with the winter quarantining, so it was great to catch up and chat about what we've both been working on!  We collaborate together in Earth Radio, between writing/rehearsing/performing songs, managing the business end through our LLC, and making sure we're communicating with the full band to make decisions that are best for the group as a whole. When not performing or creating for folks in-person or on her Patreon, she teaches piano and voice to various students through Triumph Music Academy and works on sound-healing workshops with area yoga studios.  

Today's episode features a conversation with Loren Johnson! We chat about being creative in our spaces and she talks about her journey putting out an EP, Into The Morning, just before a cancelled tour last year while working on her recently released single, "Patterns." She's full tips and suggestions to being an artist during these crazy times, and it's crazy to think that we first really got to chat and hang in August 2020 for a photo shoot!  

Today's episode is a podcast crossover episode with the crew on the Beneath The Beat podcast!