Rock House Podcast

SURPRISE! We have a very special bonus track where we introduce Turkuaz - one of our feature bands for Season 2 of the Rock House. After the short preview, Stephen spends some time with his long-time piano teacher, Mrs. Elaine Friedlander of Friedlander Piano Studio. Michelle gives us an update on her Podquest.

In our Season 1 finale episode, we bring you a glimpse into the mysterious life of Brian J, lead guitarist and singer for the Brooklyn band Pimps of Joytime. David Bailis (bass / keyboards / synths) discusses the band's song-writing process and gigging thirty nights a month in Brooklyn while Kim Dawson (vocalist) shares her perspective on working with Brian. Stephen and Michelle prepare for Season 2.

Evan Friedell, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the electronic rock band Jimkata discusses pandas, failure and the future. Evan's brother, Russ, reflects on their childhood while Aaron Gorsch (synth & guitar) shares skateboarding memories, and Packy Lunn (drums) compares Russ and Evan's personalities. Finally, Stephen and Evan resolve some unspoken tensions.

How did Russ Friedell become the manager of Jimkata and Big Mean Sound Machine? How do you build your band's brand? Russ, founder of Levitate Artist Management, shares his experience with marketing, promotion and touring. Angelo Peters, Evan Friedell and Packy Lunn weigh in their thoughts. Stephen is evasive on his experience touring with Jimkata in 2015.

Grant is a well-known Brooklyn bassist who has performed internationally with an impressive list of artists such as Nina Persson (lead singer for The Cardigans), Alex Winston and Cymbals Eat Guitars. He's spending the first part of 2016 on tour with MS MR and the High Highs. Grant also records and produces his own projects which include Lazer Cake and Monuments.

Marie Kim is a Berklee-trained keyboardist, singer, songwriter, and sound engineer. An accomplished musician from Brooklyn, NY, Marie leads an original synth-pop group called Blank Paper. She has toured the world with bands such as MSMR, St. Lucia, and X Ambassadors. When she’s not on tour, Marie is the Front of House engineer at Webster hall – one of the largest venues in New York City.

Born in the woods of Connecticut and raised in the wilds of Boston, lespecial has established themselves as an aggressive death funk trio. Luke Bemand, the bassist for lespecial, talks about how the band was first created, the making of the lespecial's latest album - Omnisquid, and living in Allston rat city.

Mr. Vin Pugliese - a talented lighting designer, engineer, artist and juggler - shares his experiences with building video domes, mapping 3D projections, touring with The Hornitz, and cruising down the Charles in his motorboat. Stephen gets a chance to geek out about synthesizers.

Welcome to our METAL episode. You'll hear first hand from drummer Chris Narainen about what it's like to be a financier-turned-rockstar from the volcanic island of Mauritius. We'll also give you an update about our start-up podcast endeavors, Stephen's solo project, and Michelle's wedding plans.

Stephen and Michelle go home for the holidays and interview an old friend: Andy Vernon. Andy talks about growing up with the guitar, playing Nirvana and Green Day, and recounts an especially strange convention one night at the Holiday Inn.