The MusiQology Podcast

We’ve always said MusiQology is a family business, and we’re glad to share a podcast double-episode conversation between our Dr. Kellie Jones and Hettie Jones. The talk celebrates recent releases from the Joneses: Kellie’s South of Pico: African American Artists in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s and Hettie’s Love, H: The Letters of Helene Dorn and Hettie Jones. They read from the books and then discuss the writing life, being women in male-dominated spaces, and their family’s unique story.

Former Poet Laureate of Philadelphia and creative arts educator Yolanda Wisher’s art has deep ties to our home city. Trained by Sonia Sanchez and finding her voice in Germantown’s vibrant arts community, Wisher discusses the way artists’ memories work, the musical, rhythmic, and personal character of Philly neighborhoods, and her deep well of performance rhetorics. She also reads a few of her powerful and beautiful poems.

Philly musician and “sound sculptor” Jacqueline Constance is the guest in studio for this week’s podcast. As her voice emerged at Philly’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA, to locals), Constance found a creative and sustaining musical home, paving the way for a dynamic R&B-inflected career. She and Guy discuss the intersections of gender and race in musical communities and blazing trails for women in the music industry. Come for the music; stick around for the conversation.

We’re back! For Episode 1 of Season 2, we’ve got an exciting guest host: scholar, activist, entrepreneur, and CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill! Marc interviews our very own Dr. Guy and Bridget Ramsey on their lifelong collaborative process. It’s an intimate look at a father-daughter relationship nurtured and sustained by the incredible power of music. It also provides an exciting announcement—a new music video cover of Nancy Wilson's "Save Your Love For Me" by MusiQology artists Dr. Guy Ramsey and Bridget Ramsey—that will be dropping very soon.

     

Talented, up-and-coming Philadelphia visual artist, filmmaker, musician, and activist William Wolfe is the guest on the latest episode of the MusiQology Podcast. Wolfe’s grasp of the classical cadence of filmmaking, the multi-modality of art and film practice, and interest in visual narrative—on display in an upcoming video release from MusiQology’s Bridget Ramsey—make this a can’t-miss episode.

Poet, musician, and activist Ursula Rucker joins Dr. Guy at Turtle Studios for a wide-ranging discussion on her upbringing, influences, and finding her voice. They discuss her important activism in Kensington, the responsibilities of an artist, and the “I am an artist” moment. This look into the magic of artistic generation is as entrancing as Rucker’s poetry.

Rising star of Philly’s contemporary jazz scene Lee Mo sits down in the studio with Dr. Guy this week on the MusiQology Podcast. She discusses the influence of the church on her musical history, coming of age in Temple University’s jazz scene and picking up a horn, and experiencing music’s ability to create social bonds.

Multi-talented Philadelphia vocalist V. Shayne Frederick joins Dr. Guy in the studio for a podcast discussion on finding his voice. The two discuss the influence of his mother, the virtues of liner notes, performers' relationships to jazz standards, and curating the perfect musical moment.

Recorded live at Philadelphia’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Guy interviews preeminent culture and music critic Greg Tate. The two discuss influences, writing, and his recent collection, Flyboy 2, with Greg taking Guy through interview techniques, active listening as a musician and a writer, and honing the craft of journalism.

This week’s episode is a musical history lesson with Philadelphia institution J. Michael Harrison, acclaimed jazz disc jockey and historian of jazz. Touching on important figures such as Gil Scott-Heron, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins, he shares his personal musical story, tracking the social and activist impact of music on this city and nation over time.