The FeedBak Podcast

For the better part of seven years, Greg Giannukos has married his love of photography and music to produce iconic, awe-inspiring performance photos. He joins the FeedBak to share his experiences of music through the lens:

• Early musical influences and love of hot rods
• Getting connected to the Austin scene and artists
• Capturing the moment vs. being in the moment
• Always having a photographer's mindset when attending shows as a fan
• Advice for those interested in doing concert photography
• Useful apps and software for post editing your photos

"Color photography is for capturing clothes, but black-and-white is for capturing souls" - Greg Giannukos

There's music you love, and then there's music you love to hate. The FeedBak Podcast crew, along with special guest Mike Manewitz, discuss the differences between popular music today and of older generations. Should we embrace new music, be dismissive (and sound like our parents), or is there a happy medium?

• When was the first time you felt old, musically?
• Is music today better or worse then music from earlier decades?
• How age affects our listening habits and music tastes. Study shows that at age 33, people stop discovering new music.
• Music nostalgia
• How to discover new music: Spotify, We Funk Radio
• Special segment: Jim Lewin discusses FreqSho.com as music discovery platform
• Trivia

“My beef is that the quality of the music is not what it used to be” – Bak

“There’s a lot of  'firsts' that happened in that time range that I can attach music to, so when I hear that music now, I automatically go back to that time” – Byron

“Every week, when I actually listen through to it all [Spotify's Discover Weekly], I'm probably grabbing, of that thirty, over 50%” – Micco

“The music industry that we grew up with does not exist anymore” – Mike 

The FeedBak Podcast crew, Bak, Micco, and Byron kick off the season by sharing their insight on Sunday Funday, live from one of the newest Sunday Funday locales in Austin,  Lavaca Steet Bar @ Rock Rose:

• Origins of “Sunday Funday”
• Rock Rose as a new Sunday Funday scene
• The Best Sunday Funday Bar hoping circuits
• Difference between The Domain and Downtown for Sunday Funday
• Origins on Brunch and also Brunch history in Austin
• Special segment: The Pokémon Go craze
• Trivia

“There’s two waves to Sunday Funday, that I’ve noticed. You’ve got the ones that start at 12 and go all the way to 5 or 6 and go home. And second wave shows up around 5 or 6 and they keep going ’til [midnight]..” – Bak 

“That is the heart of Austin and it such a friendly town. We’re in Texas, you should be able to talk to anybody. You should be able to meet and convert strangers to friends” – Micco

“If my normal path that I go from work, to home, to out to eat somewhere crosses path with where there’s a Pokemon.. I’mma catch it!” – Byron

Jennifer Houlihan (Austin Music People), Gavin Garcia (Music Commission), and Don Pitts (ATX Music Office) join us for the finale of our Save Austin Music Series live from City Hall. (Check out Part 1 and Part 2):

• The official response to the Omnibus Resolution (read it here);
• Addressing the lack of communication between all the players;
• What their roles are in this process;
• We discuss various recommendations in the report:
  • Entertainment License for venue owners;
  • The Live Music Venue Best Practice Guide (taken from a model in Adelaide, Australia);
  • Upcoming event: Venue Owner Meeting on July 21st at 1pm at Palm Door on Sixth;
  • Music Genre Development: rebranding the moniker Live Music Capital of the World to be make it more inclusive;
  • Affordability and housing issues;
  
  
• Is this a government takeover?
• Suggesting an entity separate from the city to manage Austin music;
• How Music Tech fits in the Omnibus Resolution and how they can become partners with the city;
• Reaching out to the student population;
• How to get involved and improve lines of communication;
• Next steps

"After all the time and effort put into meetings and crafting a response to the Omnibus initiative, the work is just now beginning." - Gavin Garcia

"Music commissioners are eager to have conversation. Show up to commission meetings and make your voice heard." - Jennifer Houlihan

"The City cannot pick winners, in terms of choosing which app to support, but feels it’s important for to identify the technologies that do work well so that the wheel does not have to be reinvented." - Don Pitts

We recap the 2nd Street Soundcheck and Solstice Festival. Get to know some of the local bands by listening to our preview show).

Chris Bush is the CEO of TipCow, an app that allows you to tip a band directly from your phone. Dan Redman, founder of Mosaic Sound Collective, a one-stop shop of resources and services supporting the music community. They join us to talk about how their ventures fit in Mayor Adler's Omnibus Resolution to preserve the Austin music scene:

• Their personal connection to Austin music;
• Reactions to the Omnibus Resolution;
• Why Music Tech is part of the solution;
• The importance of collaboration;
• Austin as a creative city;
• Reaching out to the broader audience;

"We have music and we have tech. We can build the credibility and my goal is build our own venture capital that is separate from the tech world." - Dan Redman

"The fans are the ones who are going to spend money. They're the ones who are going to help support artists. But you have to find value to give them to make them want to spend money." - Chris Bush

Live from Stay Gold in Austin, TX, get to know Hard Proof, Henry + The Invisibles, Young Tongue, and Ume who are performing at Solstice Festival on June 18th at Pan Am Park:

• Background and beginnings;
• Memorable moments as musicians;
• Sound and performance style;
• Insight on the Austin music scene;

"At some moments, we're a rock band with a horn section for a front man. At some moments, we're a traditional afrobeat band of Nigerian inspiration. " - Stephen Bidwell (Hard Proof)

"Some of the songs I'm doing now are products of songs that I've created on the spot" - Henry Roland (Henry + The Invisibles)

"I've also resonated with music and melody. Lyrical content became really important to me so I try not to use filler lyrics" - Stu Baker (Young Tongue)

"I have to lay my heart out there no matter what. I think that is the essence of Ume" - Lauren Larson (Ume)

We plug the Austin comedy scene (check out Stand Up Empire on PBS) and compare Chicago and Dallas to Austin.

Rebecca Farrell is an attorney at Austin Music Law who represents Austin venues. Tee Double is the founder of Urban Artist Alliance who helps urban artists learn about the business side of the music industry. They share their feedbak on Mayor Adler's Omnibus Resolution to preserve the Austin music scene:

• Serving the Austin music community as native Austinites;
• The art of music as a business;
• The challenges of the venue market;
• Addressing the permitting and licensing processes;
• Working with the city instead of relying on the city;
• Building partnerships with businesses;
• How to get involved:
  • Attend Austin Music Commission Meetings: every 1st Monday of the month @ 6:30pm at City Hall
  • Contact your Music Commissioner with your input. They don't bite! Click here for their contact info.
  • Support the scene by sharing the information with friends on social media;
  • Listen to the FeedBak Podcast: get to know the people in the Austin. We also recommend events.
  
  

We recap the last X-Games in Austin and a World Music Party at a house in North Austin.

FeedBak Podcast veteran and comedian Sheena Simmons returns (previous appearances on episodes 61, 63, 88):

• Her definition of turnt up;
• Exploring the Austin scene again;
• Becoming a comedian;
• The Austin comedy scene and the rise of open mics;
• Quitting your job and pursuing your dreams;
• Building structure in your life and using tools like Google Calendar and Mint;
• How to measure success
• We preview our Save Austin Music Podcast Series!

"You still have to put your dream into a business mindset. So you make it your job." - Sheena 2.0

We recap Memorial Day Weekend including grand openings of Green Light Social on West 6th and 77° Rooftop Bar in the Domain, Groove Theory 1 Year Anniversary with DJ Kay Cali, New Jack Swing with DJ Protege, DJ Mike Swing, DJ Kid Slyce, DJ Demo, Kenny Duet.

Best Club DJ by the Austin Chronicle in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012 and pillar in the Austin house music scene Toddy B tells his story and how he balances personal life and nightlife:

• Beginnings as a local promoter, underground raves, and inspirations;
• The rise of the house scene in Austin and the impact of the clubs like Plush, Barcelona, Lanai, Summit, and Kingdom, Ethics Lounge
• Electronic Music 101;
• How to balance personal/work life and nightlife while staying involved in the scene

We recap Hall & Oates at Amphitheater, Leon Bridges at Stubbs, and New Breed Brass Band at Antone's.

Partner at Wu Chow and Swift's Attic,Twitter-verified, Music fan, Panda before Desiigner, and world's biggest Chinaman, CK Chin shares his insight on Austin food scene:

• From vet to mentor to bouncer to restaurant manager to owner
• Opening Swift's Attic and Wu Chow
• The food culture in Austin: the trends, the business, the experience
• Recognizing food as a soul touching experience
• Connecting with celebrities and guests on a personal level
• Tips from CK on how to have a good dining experience and recommendations

"Is it more valuable to me to have a Steve Aoki come in and have dinner and enjoy himself or this cat who's 16 years old and spends 3 months saving up his allowance or summer to bring his date in and for him to have a good time? They are equally important." - CK Chin