The Backstage Lounge sits down with the musicians, educators, creators, and artists making things happen in Southwest Michigan and beyond. Not just musicians. Anyone who creates, performs, or builds something and means it. Hosted by Andrew Fisher.

Host, Andrew sits down with dancer and choreographer Lari Lawrence-Gist. Lari is the Director of Dance at The Citadel Dance and Music Center and has been involved in a vast array of events and productions throughout Southwestern Michigan. Having collaborated with her on multiple occasions Andrew had to have her on the podcast.

Discussing Lari's journey through dance from starting at a young age to become the Director of a Dance Center. They also discuss aspects of dance on TV and popular culture. Also, the fundraising effort that took place earlier this year and how it set a new standard for collaboration and fundraising for non-profit arts organizations.

Head to the blogpost for further details and explained references for this episode.

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Credits:
Podcast Image by Findae Photography and Design

Song:
In One Place by Barradeen
Music promoted by Free Stock Music
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Andrew continues his conversation with dancer and choreographer Lari Lawrence-Gist. They discuss their current project, The Citadel Holiday Spectacular, and how Andrew will be portraying Santa Claus. Speaking to aspects of having a person of color playing a popular character. They go through Lari's process of dance and how she puts together other dancing projects like The Steamed Nutcracker.

Head to the blogpost for further details and explained the references for this episode.

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Credits:
Podcast Image by Findae Photography and Design

Song:
In One Place by Barradeen
Music promoted by Free Stock Music
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Andrew has a chat with Sound Engineer Paul Klimson. Having been in the music industry for decades, Paul has been on tour with Justin Timberlake and John Legend. Also was the monitoring engineer for Jimmy Fallon's Late Night and Tonight Show and worked closely with The Roots. Now recently having open a non-profit organization called The Roadie Clinic that focuses on Roadies and their families on and off tours.

Instantly discovering how like-minded they are they dive into many topics as they discuss how the pandemic has affected their work but also the art itself. How artists view their self worth and try to stay in the moment. They bring up working with their "gurus" and how important it is to be kind. That and much more.

Head to the blogpost for further details and explained references for this episode.

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Credits:
Podcast Image by Findae Photography and Design

Song:
In One Place by Barradeen
Music promoted by Free Stock Music
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Andrew continues his conversation with Sound Engineer Paul Klimson. They talk about their hope for an artistic Renaissance. Also, discuss Paul's time on Late Night TV working with The Roots. They bring up the importance of arts education and also how the youth are shaping the landscape now and in the future.

Head to the blogpost for further details and explained references for this episode.

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Credits:
Podcast Image by Findae Photography and Design

Song:
In One Place by Barradeen
Music promoted by Free Stock Music
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Singer/Songwriter, Dena Woods, is based out of South Bend, Indiana. She performs as a solo artists and also heads her own group, "The Dena Woods Project". She also in involved in healing outside of the music world being a massage therapist and yoga instructor with her venture, Healing Lab Yoga.

Andrew finds out as soon as they start talking how a like they are. Leaving no stone unturned as they discuss Dena's journey and the difficulties and real aspects of being musicians. They talk about The Pool, a well known music venue in South Bend that was managed by Dena. Also bringing up the difficult things, how mental health, societies demands and more impacts their careers.

Head to the blogpost for further details and explained references for this episode.

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Credits:
Podcast Image by Findae Photography and Design

Song:
In One Place by Barradeen
Music promoted by Free Stock Music
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Andrew continues the conversation with Singer/Songwriter Dena Woods. They discuss the aftermath of the The Pool. Also bring up the difficult but needed conversation about her perspective of being a woman in the music scene and how it not only effects her but others. They discuss Dena's original music, diving into her song, "I Need you". Of course she is asked to offer her advice to artist on her path.

Head to the blogpost for further details and explained references for this episode.

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Credits:
Podcast Image by Findae Photography and Design

Song:
In One Place by Barradeen
Music promoted by Free Stock Music
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Krystal Davis is a Sound Engineer at Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne, Indiana and is also the Lead Vocalist and songwriter for the band, "Our Name is Taken". In this episode we talk about her journey to becoming a sound engineer and also how being a musician has influenced her work behind the mixing board. We reminisce about when we were in college together, being band geeks, and even when she helped record with my group, The Andrew Fisher Quartet. I ask her about some of her work at Sweetwater Sound and we even bring up Taylor Swift.

Head to the blogpost for further details and explained references for this episode.

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Credits:
Podcast Image by Findae Photography and Design

Song:
In One Place by Barradeen
Music promoted by Free Stock Music
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Continuing with Sound Engineer Krystal Davis. I ask her to share her perspective on what it's like to be a female engineer in a predominant male field. We discuss how Covid has changes the landscape in the world of music and how we have adapted to the changes. We talk about her band, Our Name is Taken, they've been working on their first album. And as always I ask her the "Final Question" on what she wants to say to those who desire to follow her track in the arts.

Head to the blogpost for further details and explained references for this episode.

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Credits:
Podcast Image by Findae Photography and Design

Song:
In One Place by Barradeen
Music promoted by Free Stock Music
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Andrew and Nicolina continue their conversation around the craft of photography. They go into Journalism photography and how things like social media and Photoshop have changed photography in a modern age. They discuss photographers that have influenced Nicolina's work and another one of her projects called The Glass Ceiling. This leads them to bring up the treatment of women in the photography world.

Head to the blogpost for further details and explained references for this episode.

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Credits:
Podcast Image by Findae Photography and Design

Song:
In One Place by Barradeen
Music promoted by Free Stock Music
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

You’re Thinking About That Person Again by Barradeen
Music promoted by Free Stock Music
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported