The noble struggle between embracing the light and succumbing to the darkness is an ongoing battle for so many people from one moment to the next. Sometimes sin gets the better of us, and sometimes our moral compass rights itself, letting our virtues rise to the top instead.

To a large degree, these are the same inner demons Nashville-based country singer/songwriter George Shingleton grapples with every day. Rather than give in to the pain, Shingleton has instead been able to wrangle his own internal good vs. evil wrestling match into a number of heartfelt songs that are infused with his patented lived-in, whiskey-tinged vocals. “We’re all striving to be better people,” Shingleton believes. “If we’re not, then what are we doing here?”

JW Francis loves you, and he shares that love through building community around and using music. In this podcast, we speak openly about what it was like to be go from small town Oklahoma to being raised during his formative years in Paris, to moving to NYC for College and developing into an influential low-fi musician. He shares his early story of getting into music, making a secret recording studio in an abandoned room at Columbia and how he transitioned into being more of a musician himself. He loves speaking with people, making music, connecting people, and sharing stories and love. 

There are also some great nuggets in here about how to identify and market yourself as a musician, how to tell your story and share your creativity with others, dreaming, and what it’s like to dissect and extract the distinct feelings and stories we all draw through experience.

Conversation on Allison Sudol’s Enough Honey and the importance of connecting with others by bringing stories and feelings to light. We then go into the cultural commentary presented in Steve Aoki Pretender between what’s real and isnt real in the face of doctored media and fakeness. And we close with a discussion on media broadly and the impact of social media on our lives.

Red Sun Radio is a New York-based rock group that formed four years ago as a staple Fordham University Rock band. RSR honed their sound from the basement of a Pugsley's Pizza near the campus. They have a Velvet underground feel to their music, but they love to experiment with all things rock.

In this conversion, we go through what it’s like to be a modern rock band. We go into how they formed, how they evolved as performers, their process, and how they make music. Throughout, we go over New York Music, the Mercury Lounge, and all things rock from Blink 182 to the Strokes to Phoebe Bridgers to King Gizzard & the Wizard Lizard, Radiohead and so much more, social media’s impact on artistry,

Slowsie AKA Mike Pearson became part of the SOS family and a friend relatively early on in our SOS journey. He’s a very present person who finds playfulness and fun in even the mundane, latching onto stories big and small to capture the eccentricities, highs and lows of everyday life. In the beginning I thought of him as a Philly-based indie rock artist, but by now I know that is far too small a box to put him in as he makes love music, hard hitting trap, vibey rock music and more. He’s just a lover of music and an artist that latches onto the feelings and stories that move him. One of his most popular songs, for instance, is called BedBugs and it’s on insomnia and was based on his lived experience struggling to sleep in a dingy, bug-infested college dorm room he once called home.

In this conversation we talk about Bedbugs, but we go everywhere from his newfound love of Trap Music and interests in Korean R&B, to advertising brand storytelling to genre-bending modern music, and the stories that have inspired his music and life. I laughed my way through the conversation and was left with a sense of nostalgia as I let my mind run and latch onto all the small stories that have made my life what it is. From the feeling of getting an ice cream cone after a baseball game (inspired by Slowsie’s Vanilla Bean story) to the feeling of taking a nap on my grandmother's couch, and so many more. I hope he inspires the same in you.

To stand out in Manhattan, you have to make sure to do something a bit against the grain. Josh Yavneh, a veteran to the NYC music scene, is well aware of the different nuances involved in taking influences from some of rock’s greatest performers and carving out a new sound with his group, Josh Yavneh and the Culprits. He’s been grinding since 2005, writing and refining original music all the while. Pulling from the likes of Tom Petty and Wilco, these “good ol’ rock n roll” tunes are amped up with fuzz-washed bass lines and concise, distorted guitar leads. Timothy Kessler (bass) provides a lot of character to the lower end of each song, Jon Kurzman (drums) keeps a steady pulse in the pocket, but also shows his ability to break out and provide energy with his fills. The band takes a big cue from the blues in general, especially with the raspy vocals and quick, efficient lead solos. As a tip of the hat to Josh, it’s quite the accomplishment to get that kind of vocal tone without sacrificing intonation, but he is able to pull off a good Fogerty-styled vocal performance on these songs while also keeping his own unique baritone resonance ever present.

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Soul searchers unite!  Kay Soul is a healing musician and a testament to the impact of persistence. She works to create an intimate culture and body of musical work to bring hope and inspire others. She is a ray of sunshine, showing people that there is still beauty to be found, even when we’re feeling down. Through her musical and personal journey, she speaks to the common emotions that we all share in times of struggle.

Hitha’s a 15 year old...with ideas...who makes music! See what these ideas are, learn about youth today, their issues, how they engage with social media like TikTok and more.

Bollywood! Turns out there’s more than just fun dances and music on love. In this podcast, we go through the differences between Indian classical and Bollywood, what it is about Bollywood music that makes it so culturally important today, and so much more.

Today’s guest is pop mixed with classical recording artist, singer, songwriter and lyricist, Alexa Ray. Alexa has had her work streamed millions of times by audiences around the world. She's also been nominated for a number of awards including Best Contemporary Artist at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards in 2018 and for Best Lyricist in 2019.

When we we introduced to Alexa, it was in the context of Fearless, her latest album and the first she wrote herself. In Fearless, Alexa Ray explores the interplay between the uplifting desire to be fearless and the darkness that is fear. Her pop music has a resonance to it, that she mixes well with uplifting themes and lyricism. Fearless is about having the courage to start over again, being fearless in everyday life and situations, and finding the space to be vulnerable.

Show Notes:

0:00: How COVID has impacted her writing process and work in music.

2:24: Thoughts on Fearless and why it’s music that matters.

9:15: why lead with intentionality in your writing? Songwriting process.

9:58: Singles vs Albums and balancing the business of being a musician with a purpose and intentionality to songwriting.

12:50: Going from classical music to modern pop songwriting. Alexa’s background in classical music and music that inspired her.

16:11: Inspiration for On My Own and what it’s like to find yourself in the music industry and discover who you are and what you want to say in life and in your music. Deciding on what vision for the world you want to see.

17:42: Father Can you hear me background and Alexa’s personal spiritual journey and connection with her faith, but also her thoughts on and struggles with organized religion. How you navigate and balance the bad parts of any movement along with the good parts of the movement as well.

22:06: Her go-to artists right now. Artist to check out:

21:48: How do you find new, good and meaningful music? How do you listen to and take in music?

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