Open Mic Spotlight

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Seattle-based Americana duo The Local Strangers drop by the studio to share some of their achingly beautiful harmonies and discuss details of their upcoming record. Built around the twin influences of Aubrey Zoli and Matt Hart, the band expertly wind their way through dramatic folk and pop landscapes while keeping their sights set on creating a unique and earnest noise that owes a good deal to their collective inspirations. You can hear how these specific sounds affect the way they approach their music when they perform a folked up version of Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” transforming it into a mournful call-and-response narrative that slips gently from the strings of Hart’s acoustic guitar. They blend a soulful country swing with propulsive pop melodies and drape it all across an agile folk skeleton. As Zoli discusses some of their influences (Debbie Gibson, Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan), she reveals the various musical histories that have threaded their way throughout her work. Hart, meanwhile, talks about his love of theater, developed from an early age, and how he gained a better understanding of live performance that would shape the way he approached his music in later years. They wound up meeting in the musician’s section of Craigslist 7 years ago and immediately established a rhythmic rapport that would anchor their professional relationship in the years since they founded The Local Strangers.

Thank you to Jesse Jungkurth for editing and mixing this podcast.

Hannah Murphy – Open Mic Spotlight

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Atlanta singer-songwriter Hannah Murphy joining Heather in the studio to discuss their first meeting at Eddie’s Attic at an Atlanta open mic night, how she first picked up the guitar when she was 13 and how her lack of internet led her to see the value of pursuing music as a creative outlet. Armed with just an acoustic guitar and a forceful but gorgeous voice, Murphy evokes the spare and fluid landscapes of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s folk scene, giving each moment here its own distinctive personality. She’s following a line of musicians stretching all the way back to the earliest folk storytellers who first began sharing their experiences at the beginning of the last century.

She delivers a few original tunes and a cover of a Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up,” with all the graceful movements of someone who’s been doing this for many, many years. She also spends time talking about some of the artists who’ve had such a powerful influence on her life, including Fleetwood Mac, First Aid Kit, Jason Isbell and Fleet Foxes. But she reserves a special place for legendary folk singer Joni Mitchell, a musician from whom she’s drawn acres of inspiration in regards to her own writing and arranging. By viewing her music as part of a healing process that she shares with her listeners, she is able to communicate a wealth of honest emotion and communal thoughts in a subtle and quietly devastating manner.

Thank you to Jesse Jungkurth for mixing this episode. 

In the Open Mic Spotlight podcast this week, Chattanooga artist Marcus White drops by the studio to discuss his tenure with several local bands, the varying roles he takes as both musician and producer and how electronic music can be just as physical as any other type of music. Hailing from Washington D.C., White attended Lee University on a music scholarship but wound up studying psychology. A few years later, he was approached by gospel musician Eddie James to join his tour on keyboard, and he jumped at the chance before finding himself drawn back to Chattanooga some time later. Bringing together classically-influenced piano lines, beat-tape dynamics and slinky synth grooves, his work moves from one genre to the next without regard for borders or baseless assumptions.

Known professionally as Killakeyz, White sifts through a wide range of inspirations to create a sound that feels expansive and limitless without feeling weighted down by the complexity of his arrangements. He uses the work of iconic artists like Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Stevie Wonder as the foundation on which he builds a fascinating and eclectic sound. Composed of equal parts jazz, R&B, pop and electronic music, his songs tend to hover at the edge of your senses, waiting for just the right moment to deliver a vibrant and necessary jolt of electricity to your nervous system. 

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga singer-songwriter LadyLyn brings her soul-infused melodies to the studio and discusses her past history in college sports, the years spent singing solos in church and how she taught herself how to play the guitar.  Across a handful of tracks, she offers both original songs and covers, revealing an endless emotional reservoir from which she so casually draws inspiration as she explores the influence of countless musicians who have mined these well-worn sounds and driven her to create a distinct and ferocious roar all her own.

Having started her musical journey years ago on piano, she switched to guitar and discovered a deep echoing resonance hidden within its strings, allowing her to explore a deeper understanding of both herself and the expressive mechanics of her music. With the simple but intense interplay between her voice and her guitar acting as a guide, she crafts an honest and forthright lyrical landscape where shimmering chords and strummed rhythms capture the full experience of her pop and soul reverberations. She balances an intimate acoustic perspective with broad emotional associations, creating a deliriously creative blend of sound and purpose.

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, New Orleans-influenced singer-songwriter Gino Fanelli stops by the studio to discuss his reverence for jazz vocalists, the history of his own cross-genre work and coffee can nachos—he also works his way through a handful of songs that span the length of his influences. Taking inspiration from artists like Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong and Jack Scott, Fanelli wrings a boundless emotional echo from the strings of his guitar, revealing both the staggering possibilities and rhythmic subversion that can be wrought from his chosen instrument.

Whether he’s performing and discussing the sonic details of King Louie’s song from “The Jungle Book” or the journey from his hometown of Detroit to Chattanooga, Fanelli creates a familiar and intimate space for his words and music to roam, filling the studio with a N’awlins shake and swagger that compliments the complex rhythms that form around his lyrics. With a history that includes time wandering the depths of rockabilly, swing and jazz, he filters all these sounds into a focused roar that immediately captures the mischievous spirit of Bourbon Street and all-night parties soundtracked by a coterie of ecstatic musicians.

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Christopher Andrew Johnson of Chattanooga dream-pop outfit Side Affect drops by to talk about his work and perform a handful of songs, including an unreleased new one and possibly an Abba cover. Drawing inspiration from bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Wild Nothing and Echo & the Bunnymen, Johnson builds a foggy pop environment in his songs where his jangling guitars, deadpan wit and Lou Reed-esque vocals collide and rebound at various points.

Between discussions of musical theater and the direction of future releases from Side Affect, Johnson loops a full group’s worth of instruments as he becomes his own one-man band. Using these eclectic sounds to evoke vast emotional associations, he brings an intimate atmosphere to the studio, full of murky melodies and a charged ‘80s dark pop energy. From his recent spot performing at NoonTunes to the numerous other shows he’s played around Chattanooga, Christopher Andrew Johnson is no stranger to the shifting perspectives and obstacles inherent to the local music scene.

Ben Strawn is a young and somewhat new artist to the Chattanooga music scene but don't let that fool you. This singer-songwriter from Cookeville, Tn will make you swoon with his lyrics and voice. His new EP was just released in June. Hear him perform some of those songs and others on this episode. Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on most podcast platforms like iTunes or GooglePlay. 

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. For all of you industry recording and mixing needs visit www.TRoMixedThat.com 

Megan Saunders is a songwriter that grew up in Vermont but now resides in Chattanooga. She plays a variety of different string instruments including the guitar and banjo. Her band includes Jason Reed on guitar and Jonathan McWilliams on upright bass. Megan has released two albums and has played all over the US. She has won several national awards for singing and composing, including the Song of the Year award for songwriting in the American genre. This episode gives an up close and touching look into where Saunders came from and where she's going, both personally and as an artist. Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on most podcast platforms like GooglePlay and iTunes.

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. For all you industry recording and mixing needs, visit TRoMixedThat.com.

Ian Sharp is one of the movers and shakers of the Chattanooga comedy scene. After life as a tourning musician with the band, In Faith Or Flames, he found himself loving comdedy. He got his start where most in Chattanooga have, JJs Bohemia's open mic. He now has created and hosts his own weekly open mic called ComedyFight at the Honest Point. In this episode, hear stories of band life, how he got into comedy, strategies he uses to write his comedy, and even hear some audio from a live recording. Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on most podcast platforms like iTunes or GooglePlay. 

Thank you Trenton Romanini for mixing this podcast. For all your professional industry recording and mixing needs visit TRoMixedThat.com

Buddy Shirk is an an organist and a pianist who has performed on local, and national, and international television, as well as in numerous recording studios and churches. He served with the Baldwin Paino and Organ Co. and Cooper Music in Atlanta for many years in various marketing and managing positions and now is the store manager for Summitt Pianos here in Chattanooga, TN. He is one of the organists for the Tivoli on the Mighty Wurlitzer and that is where this episode was recorded. Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on most podcast platforms including iTunes or GooglePlay. 

Thank you Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. For all of you professional industry recording and mixing needs visit TRoMixedThat.com