Rockstars Anonymous

Why was Hana’s cello improving faster than her harp when she barely practised it?

We talk about making practice count, working on tiny sections, testing your memory and resisting “just one more go”. There’s a six-point plan and a reminder that rest does as much for your progress as the practice itself.

We make the case for matinee gigs, complain about women’s razors, and answer your questions about songwriting and finding new melodies.

Could the future of independent music exist without Spotify or Meta?

This week, we’re joined by Aaron of Essex, host of Into the Valueverse and the man behind the New Music Nudge Unit, for a crash course in the alternative music economy. We talk Fountain, RSS, Nostr, Bitcoin, sats and how musicians can receive money directly from listeners instead of waiting for fractions of pennies from streaming platforms.

Aaron explains the difference between a platform and a protocol, the easiest ways for artists to enter the Valueverse and why he believes independent musicians should stop sending everybody to Spotify. We also discuss collapsing music budgets, rebuilding online communities and whether technology might finally give artists more control over their work and income.

Elsewhere, Aaron reveals his former life as an award-winning Elvis impersonator, Buddy the Italian greyhound makes an appearance and the Weekly Whinge gets considerably bigger than usual.

Then, in Sound Advice: have we ever chosen music over a lover? The short answer is yes. Every day.

Find Aaron and the New Music Nudge Unit:

https://bitcoinessex.co.uk/newmusicnudgeunit

If you enjoy the episode, like, subscribe, share it with another struggling musician or send us a zap on Fountain.

Musicians have a reputation for taking things too far. Mishkin and Hana would love to tell you they’re sensible exceptions. Unfortunately, this week’s meeting contains evidence to the contrary.

Sweet Extremes Are Made of This explores the highs and lows of life in music, with a few torrid confessions 🙈and some other stories we can only laugh about now.

How much of the chaos comes with the job, and how much do we bring ourselves? And when does a good story become something you’d rather not have lived through?

Pull up a chair. You might feel better about your own life choices.

Find all our links: https://linktr.ee/rockstarsanonymous

We considered getting sensible jobs 💼.

Instead, we made Season 5.

Teaser episode where we share our rebrand and give a little insight into what you can expect for the following season. First episode coming next week 😱

Hana's getting married in two weeks and Mish lost her voice, so naturally we recorded a podcast. This week we're sharing our 10 tips for staying afloat when life and music are both coming at you full speed - covering everything from planning your wellness before you hit the road, to gamifying logistics, protecting your energy, and why panicking about a bad gig is pointless. Plus Crone Watch (keys, socks, perimenopause), and a very justified whinge about alpaca haircuts.

Do you have the best job in the world but also want to quit at least once a day?

Are you always on the VIP list but somehow end up eating dinner by the bins?

Do you ever play to a crowd and yet sometimes feel like the loneliest person in the room?

Do you lie awake at night questioning your life choices?

Well, you’re not alone.

Being a musician is hard at the best of times, and we’re here to help.

Join Mishkin Fitzgerald and Hana Piranha as they talk about the highs and lows of being a musician.

The metronome has a bad reputation. It's rigid, it's annoying, and it's few people's idea of a good time. In this episode, Hana and Mishkin make the case for why that's a mistake, and why the benefits go well beyond just playing in time.

Do you have the best job in the world but also want to quit at least once a day?

Are you always on the VIP list but somehow end up eating dinner by the bins?

Do you ever play to a crowd and yet sometimes feel like the loneliest person in the room?

Do you lie awake at night questioning your life choices?

Well, you’re not alone.

Being a musician is hard at the best of times, and we’re here to help.

Join Mishkin Fitzgerald and Hana Piranha as they talk about the highs and lows of being a musician.

⚠️ This episode contains discussions of pregnancy loss, postpartum mental health, and rage. Please take care listening.

This week Hana and Mishkin are joined by Georgia Train — singer-songwriter, vocal coach, and one half of Bitter Ruin — for a conversation about what it really costs to be a musician and a mother. Georgia gets into the parts nobody talks about: the hormonal shifts, the identity loss, the rage, and why the industry makes all of it harder than it needs to be.

Support Georgia's work directly:

Patreon: patreon.com/georgiatrain

Bandcamp: georgiatrain.bandcamp.com

Do you have the best job in the world but also want to quit at least once a day?

Are you always on the VIP list but somehow end up eating dinner by the bins?

Do you ever play to a crowd and yet sometimes feel like the loneliest person in the room?

Do you lie awake at night questioning your life choices?

Well, you’re not alone.

Being a musician is hard at the best of times, and we’re here to help.

Join Mishkin Fitzgerald and Hana Piranha as they talk about the highs and lows of being a musician.

Welcome to Season 4 of our podcast and a slight rebrand!

After a packed start to the year involving tours, music videos, prison teaching stints, and at least one birthday meltdown in France, we've been thinking a lot about how musicians actually work.

This episode is about the two seasons every musician moves through: zoom in, where it's all about daily practice, routine, and sharpening the saw — and zoom out, where a big project takes over and the routine completely collapses. We talk about the traps in both, what the transition between them feels like, and why giving yourself permission to just be in one season at a time might be the most useful thing you can do for your career.

Do you have the best job in the world but also want to quit at least once a day?

Are you always on the VIP list but somehow end up eating dinner by the bins?

Do you ever play to a crowd and yet sometimes feel like the loneliest person in the room?

Do you lie awake at night questioning your life choices?

Well, you’re not alone.

Being a musician is hard at the best of times, and we’re here to help.

Join Mishkin Fitzgerald and Hana Piranha as they talk about the highs and lows of being a musician.

Singles, EPs, albums - how do you know what to release, and when? In this episode, Hana and Mishkin break down the case for each format using the only framework that matters: TLC. They cover why a single can get you pigeonholed before you've shown anyone the full picture, when an EP is worth the extra studio time, and why albums are still the most satisfying thing you can make even if they take three years and cost a small fortune. Plus: demo love, the mixed jury, and why staggering your mixing costs might save your sanity.

Do you have the best job in the world but also want to quit at least once a day?

Are you always on the VIP list but somehow end up eating dinner by the bins?

Do you ever play to a crowd and yet sometimes feel like the loneliest person in the room?

Do you lie awake at night questioning your life choices?

Well, you’re not alone.

Being a musician is hard at the best of times, and we’re here to help.

Join Mishkin Fitzgerald and Hana Piranha as they talk about the highs and lows of being a musician.

This week Hana and Mishkin are joined by Jason Achilles - LA producer, session musician to the likes of Dizzy Reed and Jerry Cantrell, and the man behind the microphone NASA sent to Mars on the Perseverance rover. Jason talks about building a music career through sheer nerve and well-timed lies and shares some very honest stories about the times he wanted to quit. Expect tour stories, food grievances, and a reminder that nobody really knows what they're doing.

Do you have the best job in the world but also want to quit at least once a day?

Are you always on the VIP list but somehow end up eating dinner by the bins?

Do you ever play to a crowd and yet sometimes feel like the loneliest person in the room?

Do you lie awake at night questioning your life choices?

Well, you’re not alone.

Being a musician is hard at the best of times, and we’re here to help.

Join Mishkin Fitzgerald and Hana Piranha as they talk about the highs and lows of being a musician.