The Musicians Guild with Steve Choi

Greetings to all of you esteemed members of The Guild. This week we are honored to have Lizzie Killian from Teens In Trouble with us. Teens In Trouble are signed to Asianman Records and they have been working hard af. We catch up with Lizzie right after she returned home from one tour while getting prepared to leave for another run of shows. In addition to being a musician Lizzie owns and operates her own PR firm, so naturally we discuss the balance between her work/music life, her songwriting process, road snacks, long drives, her upbringing in South San Francisco, her advice for artists trying to get themselves our there and lots more. Thanks for listening!

Good to be back. This week we have Issac Bolivar joining us in the study. Isaac is a guitarist/musical director from California who has played shows with a diverse list of artists including Seal, Taking Back Sunday and Harry Hudson among others. The two of us have known each other a long time, and even in collecting photos for this episode Isaac sent me a photo of the two us together in Australia back in 2010 while both doing the Soundwave tour which really stoked me out. Isaac has reached a place in his life where his authenticity seems to be fueling his connection with his craft and we talk about that while also getting into talking about beloved studio musicians behind the scenes, our Bay Area origins, being hyper nostalgic, climbing to high vantage points to feel small, and lots more.

You the listener are appreciated and valued by The Musicians Guild and I hope you feel the respect for your ear and your time. Thank you for listening, more episodes to come!

The Musicians Guild has the lights kept on by Evergreen Podcasts and Sound Talent Media, and we appreciate everyone involved very much!

A Field Report from friend of the pod Brian Diaz last summer while he was working with Bush, on tour with Alice In Chains. While he is in the middle of Arkansas he took the time for a chat and we thank him for his Field Report.

This week we are featuring a nice long conversation with Aaron Carnes and Adam Davis from In The Defense Of Ska podcast. This is one of the longer conversations we've had inside The Guild so if you're on a long drive or have a full day of work this might be a good episode for that. Aaron is author of the book also titled In the Defense of Ska which came before the podcast. These two fine humans were kind enough to come to my home and we sat in my den by the fire and discussed how Ska got hated on so much, the new face and direction of Ska, Ska fashion crimes, older punks going MAGA, seeing Fugazi live, bad driving while searching for music, Adam's kids disliking LEGO, 17 band bills, and lots lots more. Thank you for being you.

This week we have a Field Report from my fellow Korean-American brother Dave Jun soon after arriving home from a run in South America with Miley Cyrus. He fills us in on an emergency landing their jet had to make upon being struck by lighting in a bad storm, their festival run, zig-zagging across the continent and sketchy bad weather stages. Thank you to Dave and thank you esteemed members of this guild.

Greetings wonderful humans. In this episode I take you through vibes and sounds of this last T.S.O.A.F. tour we just finished a couple weeks ago. You'll get a peak inside my routines, habits, and preferences on tour in a style similar to an amusement ride, meaning you just sit back and take it all in at the pace already set. You'll also get to be a fly on the wall for different conversations during the tour; you'll be listening from a hotel room, a dressing room, a hotel room, in an alley and on the street. After this episode we will continue to roll on with more Field Reports and more full length conversations with guests. Thanks for being a member of The Musicians Guild

...And 3 days before I leave for tour, we are back! Today's session includes introducing our new 'Field Reports' series and reintroducing myself to your time and attention which I always appreciate. Just in this episode you'll be with me In a dressing room, walking through a forest, and in a Van in NYC. More long from conversations and Musicians Digest coming along with plenty of Field Reports with former guests and new friends of the pod. Thanks for listening! Thank you Sound Talent Media and Evergreen Podcasts!

This week we are very happy to have radio personality and host Megan Holiday with us. Although Megan is on the other side of the aisle from us musicians, she is part of the crucial balance I speak of where musicians and non-musicians need each other to maintain the balance of the industry as we know it while it quickly and continuously changes. People like Megan are true advocates for music and musicians so her way of approaching her role in this whole structure is a valuable asset to us creatives. We get into how Megan got her start in radio so naturally we also get into her story of recovery and sobriety after the inevitable rock bottom, and emotions run high. This is delicate vulnerable stuff after all, but it also facilitates gratitude and appreciation of life and sobriety through Megan's story. We also get talk about her 1st times live on air, manifesting people into her life, getting a glow necklace from Aaron Paul at Coachella, tripping hard at Shoreline Amphitheater and lots more! Thanks for listening and being part of the guild.

Another installment of editorial ramblings. I sort out some thoughts on the RE-20 regarding new technologies around music, positions in the music industry, interpersonal band dynamics and Get Back, the film about The Beatles and their recording/rehearsal sessions. This episode feels very music nerdy, could be extra boring. Thank you for listening. Be excellent to each other.

This intro was a bit longer and I feel like I didn't necessarily do the subject justice. But I'll just keep trying to improve! Toki has made a new bed near my recording desk and has been present for all of the making of this episode.

This week we are very honored to welcome innovative musician, righteous guitarist, and legit-ass human Nick Reinhart to the hall of discussion. You might know Nick from his band Tera Melos who were label and touring mates of RX during our Sargent House days, or you might know him from his more current projects such as Disheveled Cuss, Undo K From Hot, or Vertical Scratchers. Nick has a very hefty and droppable list of names of bands and musicians he's played with including playing with Best Coast on late night tv performances and jamming with various indie and mainstream legends. All the while, Nick maintains his authentic and vibrantly stoic vibe while always asking questions of how we listen to music.

In this conversation we talk about burritos, Nick's sonic inspirations, home studio setups, whether or not we'd make music for a McDonals commercials, over stuffing guitar racks and pedal shelving and lots more!

Be Excellent to each other.